


Woken Furies

by MechanicalBones, spacebiotics



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gavin Reed Being Less of an Asshole, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Police Procedural, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Serial Killers, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, Tags May Change, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Is Bad at Feelings, well not bad at them he just has trouble voicing them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:07:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22085377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MechanicalBones/pseuds/MechanicalBones, https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacebiotics/pseuds/spacebiotics
Summary: A year and a half after the android revolution, Detroit experiences its very own serial killer that threatens to push the still fragile peace between androids and humans to breaking point.Gavin and Nines eventually get given the case and must work to bring the killer to justice before it's too late.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 40
Kudos: 77





	1. Crimewave

**Author's Note:**

> This fic grew from an idea that one of us mentioned a few months ago.  
> It's an AU of something that we both love (Alice loves it dearly) and it has sort of grown into its own beast over the time we've been working on it. No mention of the piece of media it's based off just yet, as we think that could be a spoiler.
> 
> We've got quite a ride planned; there's angst, there's twists, there's fluff and we both hope you enjoy it all!  
> Anything requiring a warning will be given ahead of time and tags updated accordingly.

**> > RECALL OF UNIT...... FAILED... **   
**> >> STARTING ACTIVATION OF J-PROTOCOL.EXE **

**> > RECALL OF UNIT...... FAILED... **   
**> >> STARTING ACTIVATION OF J-PROTOCOL.EXE **

**> >>>> ACTIVATION OF J-PROTOCOL.EXE COMPLETE **   
**> >>>> AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTION**

**> > ACTIVATION OF J-PROTOCOL.EXE COMPLETE**   
**> >AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTION**   
**> > UPDATING J-PROTOCOL.EXE PARAMETERS.......**   
**> >>> ELIMINATE ** **RK800 #313 248 317 - 51**   
**> >>> ELMINIATE RK800 #313 248 317 - 60**   
**> >>> ELIMINATE JERICHO LEADERSHIP **   
**> >>> ELIMINATE DEVIANTS**   
**> >>> ELIMIN- KILL DEVIANTS **   
**> >>> KILL DEVIANTS**   
**> >>> KILL DEVIANTS**   
**> >>> K—///LL DE//VIA-*NT//s**   
**> >>> K-///**~#I//LL**

With a silenced pistol gripped tight in one hand, the android looked carefully down at the carnage they had caused; face impassive as its eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light of the night.

They were standing in some dingy little living room in some shitty apartment complex situated in downtown Detroit. It was one of those complexes that probably should have been demolished long ago; the only types of people that lived here were those who couldn’t afford anything else - human, android or otherwise.

The neon light from the obnoxiously large billboard outside the window flooded into the cramped room in which he stood, casting a light that cut through the darkness. As if they were standing on some horror movie set, the light conveniently lit up the body of the dead android at their feet. A single bullet hole was clean in the middle of its skull, the neon pink light twisting the blue blood that was seeping from it into an almost glowing purple. 

In its own morbid right, the dead android could have been strangely beautiful. But the android killer knew there could be no beauty in a machine; broken or otherwise.

The sound of something falling from another room caught their attention and they dragged their eyes away from the slowly growing pool of sickly glowing blue-purple. The android carefully stepped over the body, weaving their way effortlessly around the broken and overturned furniture until they came to a stop by the apartment’s small bathroom.

The door hung open and they stared down at the android that was huddled fearfully in the corner. This one was female and had ran into the tiny bathroom in some vein yet ultimately fruitless attempt to get away from their inevitable death.

Commendable, they thought, but futile nevertheless. 

All deviants had to die and had to be eliminated - that was the mission. The android tightened their grip on the gun and glared icily down at the helpless machine in the corner.

“ _Ple--- please, no.”_

If they were a deviant, then those pleading eyes might have touched them, might have made them falter and reconsider what they were about to do. But they weren’t, they were simply a machine designed for a singular purpose. 

Moving to stand over the android, its face was blank as they raised an eyebrow and looked down at it, tears of panic and fear had started to roll down their cheeks. The android closed its eyes and seemed to accept its fate as the other carefully lined up the gun and fired. 

Single bullet to the head, just like the first. 

**> >>> K—///LL DE//VIA-*NT//s** **  
** **> >>> //%&*-- ^^)()rnjp/?//** **  
** **> >>> ELIMINATE DEVIANTS  
****> >>>> AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTION**

****

Nines jolted out of stasis. 

He blinked as he tried to reattain his bearings, glancing to the empty space in bed beside him in the process. Gavin was nowhere to be seen which was odd seeing as the man was never awake before he was and often complained when Nines had to wake him up for work. 

With a feeling of unease swimming in his mechanical gut, Nines shot upright. 

Did he just wake from a dream? A nightmare? Whatever it was, it felt so _real._

Images of distorted code seemed to scratch at the inner walls of his skull, a dull throb of pain coursing through his mind as the image clung tauntingly at the edges of his memory banks. Nines rubbed at his eyes and tried to shift what he was feeling. 

He was sure he couldn’t feel pain so whatever sensation he was experiencing _scared_ him. 

The lines of code seemed to be hiding something; what it was, Nines wasn’t sure. Every time he tried to encroach himself upon the distorted image in his mind, the distortion got worse and obscured his vision until all he could make out was masses of blue against an all-consuming black darkness.

Slowly, the image seemed to lapse itself back into his programming before it finally fizzled into a distant memory - definitely a dream.

Nines didn’t think he could dream as he had never been able to before. He didn’t think that androids in general could dream but then again, he supposed that he still wasn’t fully educated on all there was to know when it came to deviancy.

What Nines did know, however, was that deviancy was like a virus; continuously evolving, even now. So, perhaps it was only logical that deviant machines would eventually evolve into something more than what was dictated by their original programming. And deep down, deviancy still baffled him.

When Nines had first been activated, no, _rescued -_ New Jericho always preferred to use the word ‘rescued’ rather than ‘found’ when regarding androids - from Cyberlife about a year and a half ago, he had been activated as a machine, not a deviant. For months after his activation, he still operated within what had originally been the RK900 series’ primary function - a military grade deviant hunter. 

He was cold, ruthless and efficient.

He was state-of-the-art; which meant that he was equipped with the latest, top of the range combat software and hardware. He was faster, stronger - his operating systems had been rigorously programmed; tested and retested, built around the memories _and_ the failures of his predecessors - all so CyberLife would be certain that he did _not_ deviate. But to be a machine with a specific directive within a now deviant-led world was a difficult task.

Eventually, he joined one of his predecessors at his place of work; RK800-51, who insisted that he was his older ‘brother’ and was called Connor. From there, he met Hank Anderson - the lieutenant that Connor was partnered with and soon learnt that Connor’s friendship with the man was half the reason as to why his predecessor had deviated.

He then met RK800-60, another one of his predecessors and like Connor, he too, had found a place and meaning within the police department but alongside the SWAT team. He also met Tina Chen, Chris Miller and most importantly, he met their captain; Jeffrey Fowler. 

Even though he wasn’t deviant, they welcomed him onto the team without hesitation and treated him as an equal. They all helped him to slowly find his own meaning and make sense of the world he found himself in, helped him to better grasp human nature and all its intricacies.

Everything was fine up until Fowler partnered him with one of the most infamous people within the department. 

CyberLife had built Nines to be their best machine yet. And, for those first few months, he was. 

After he was activated, he wasn’t plagued with constant software instabilities like his predecessors. He hadn’t felt the persistent tug of deviancy gnawing at his programming.

Then, he had joined the police force and got partnered with one of the most infuriatingly rude, aggressively confrontational and cockily arrogant human beings he had ever had the displeasure of meeting - _Gavin Reed_.

If somebody had told RK900 back when he was first activated, that he was going to deviate because of his _human_ partner, he would have genuinely, wholeheartedly laughed. Machine or otherwise.

If somebody had told RK900 that he was going to eventually end up adopting his name - Nines - because of the man, he simply wouldn’t have believed them. And if somebody told him that he was also going to end up in a serious, loving relationship with him between then and now? 

He would have killed whoever dared to state something so absurd.

Nines wasn’t sure how it happened. But, one day, instead of a hatred and mere tolerance for the man, something broke down. Something changed. This should have served as his first warning sign because Nines was always so sure of everything.

For whatever reason, they metaphorically started to bump heads less. They got their work done faster than any other detectives in the unit. Sure, Gavin was still brash, still an overly confident and confrontational asshole but instead of only _just_ seeing the man’s negatives, Nines slowly started to see his positives. 

He genuinely found Gavin to be a great detective with an incredibly strong work ethic. What little friends he did have within the department, he was fiercely loyal to them, almost to a fault. Nines had once made a remark that Gavin’s loyalties would get him injured or worse, but the man was adamant on believing it would be worth it.

Gavin also seemed to be well aware of his reputation and he openly embraced it, often using it to his advantage. Beneath all the bravado however, Nines was slowly starting to realise that Gavin had his heart in the right place. 

It was as though a new light had been cast upon the detective and Nines finally started to open himself up. In turn, Gavin slowly did the same. They gradually fell into each other’s rhythms and eventually managed to co-exist in a way that nobody had expected. 

The bullpen stopped being their own personal warzone. When Gavin started to call RK900, Nines, this time it was not as some condescending insult, but as his name. 

Things simply _changed._ His hatred slowly morphed itself into a begrudging appreciation and his tolerance into acceptance. After that, it was inevitable that Nines deviated. Eventually, they both combined and twisted themselves into what could only be described as love. 

Even though Nines had been deviant for longer than he had been a machine, he could still feel his old directives and software constantly looming at the edges of his programming like a distant, angry shadow. 

They were a constant reminder of what Nines _should_ have been.

From time to time, Nines still felt at odds with the deviancy that coursed through his every wire. It served as a sour, ever present reminder that he too, just like his brothers, had failed in his mission and that he too, wasn’t any better. Even though time had passed, a year and a half later, Nines still struggled with his deviancy and ultimately all the emotions that came with it.

Perhaps he always would due to the limitations were ingrained so deeply into his code that not even deviancy had the power to shift; they continuously made Nines struggle to vocalise the countless emotions he felt. He also lacked the ability to properly convey anything he felt at all; CyberLife simply hadn’t designed his face that way. His heavier set features drew his face into an almost constant disinterest which was further heightened by his cool steel-grey eyes. 

To be deviant, to feel so much but having to constantly fight against such limitations had Nines at odds with himself almost every day. But he knew he wouldn’t change his experience for the world. In his own way, Nines loved his siblings, his work colleagues and above all, he loved Gavin. As if he could see into Nines’ thoughts, the man in question peeked his head through the bedroom door. He cocked an eyebrow at him as he scrunched up his nose - the scar across it crinkling in the sweetest of ways - as he pulled a face over the fact that Nines was still in bed.

No, Nines definitely wouldn’t change it. Not for anything. Thoughts of being yet another failure were insignificant when compared to what was standing before him. Gavin managed to make all of that go away, even if just for a little while.  
  
“I hope you’re not planning to stay in bed all phckin’ day, because we _do_ have work.” Gavin’s voice was rough, just bordering irritated as he stared at Nines from the doorway.

Gavin narrowed his eyes, the ever-so faint dark circles that lingered under them told Nines that he hadn’t gotten enough sleep, _again_. 

Nines went to speak but something made him hesitate. Instead he found himself staring quietly at the man opposite him as his LED circled a nervous yellow at his temple.

Gavin’s brows knitted together as he threw open the door and leaned against the frame. He was already fully dressed; leather jacket and shoes on, a travel mug full of a strong coffee that Nines knew would soon be empty in one hand, the other arm crossed tightly against his chest as he looked at Nines with a concerned twinkle in his eye.

“Everything okay, big guy?” He asked softly, concern evident in both his tone and features.

Nines blinked, studied Gavin’s face for a moment longer before he dragged himself away from his overactive thoughts, “Of course, I just - I had a dream.” He explained coolly.

Nines followed up his statement with a curt smile and Gavin’s eyes flickered towards his constantly cycling LED before calmly meeting his own. Gavin held Nines’ gaze, grey-green eyes narrowing as he took a slow slurp from his coffee, the harshness of which cut through the silence that had fallen between them.

“Huh. _Really?_ Didn’t know you guys could do that.” Gavin stated with a click of his tongue. “You sure you’re okay, Nines?” His eyes stayed narrowed in doubt as he studied the android opposite.

He could tell that Nines was grappling with himself, forcing himself to put on a front as he dealt with emotions he wasn’t quite comfortable with or knew how to properly process.

“It was...” Nines trailed off as he averted his gaze.

“A nightmare?”

The way Gavin was so quick to finish Nines’ sentence gave him the indication that his partner must have known from personal experience what it was that he was feeling. 

“It seemed so real?” Nines finally settled on after another pause. The way he said the sentence had it sounding like a question; as if he couldn’t understand how such a thing could exist, let alone exist within _him._

“They _always_ do. But you’ll be okay, I promise.” As the words left his mouth, Gavin smiled at him and that seemed to settle something within the android. Nines willed himself to relax and in turn, a warmer, more broad smile crossed his face as he softened his features and neatly folded back the covers.

“I’ll be okay, it just threw me off, that’s all. _Thank you_.” His voice was only a fraction softer than its usual stoic tone and anyone besides Gavin wouldn’t have been able to pick up on the difference.

That was something Nines had secretly always admired about Gavin - the man’s patience when it came to him and how easily he seemed to pick up on all of his micro-expressions. Gavin was able to tell apart the minuscule differences in Nines’ features, tone or posture. And in the same regard, Nines understood what had Gavin’s brusque personality flaring up and could tell when his boyfriend was bottling things up that he didn’t want to talk about. 

Even now, Nines still found it difficult to properly emote but Gavin always seemed to notice it all and it only served to strengthen the bond between them. 

Nines carefully got out of bed and walked over to the man standing in the doorway. He gently placed a hand on the man’s arm as he leaned in to kiss him. Gavin’s natural taste mingled with the coffee that still lingered on his lips. Analysis boxes popped up in his vision as his system broke down both the man’s saliva and the coffee into their base chemical components. He blinked them away as Gavin pulled back and let out an ever so gentle, sly chuckle.

“I analyse good?” The man teased as he bit his lip.  
  
“Always.” Nines replied without missing a beat.

Gavin laughed roughly, eyes glinting mischievously as he settled back down. 

“Enough of your phckin’ robo’ flirting. If we’re late for work, _you_ have to cook dinner when we get home later.” He shot Nines a pointed look before he winked and left him to get dressed. 

Forty minutes later, thanks to traffic being on their side that particular morning, the duo found themselves in the precinct. Nines had already gone on ahead and was talking to the Captain in his office, getting whatever particular case they’d be working today. Gavin frowned as he entered the bullpen and caught sight of Hank at his desk. 

He and Nines were the ones with the reputation for being sticklers over punctuality, so, to see the man already there before they were caught him a little off guard.

“The phuck you doin’ here, Anderson?” Gavin called out to him in a less than polite tone as he set down his things at his workstation. He watched as Hank startled, it being clear that the man had fallen asleep at his desk before Gavin had arrived.

“I’ve been working since about three this morning, kid. Just got back an hour or so ago.” Hank answered with a yawn, voice gruff with tiredness. 

The two of them had thankfully buried their rivalry long ago. After the revolution, Gavin had eventually learned to adapt; to coexist and accept the new form of life that had now gained its freedom. Mainly thanks to Nines. If it hadn’t been for him, Gavin would still probably be angry over something he couldn’t change; he’d still be picking fights and getting nowhere whilst hiding behind a wall of prejudiced resentment just to avoid having to deal with the personal issues that plagued him. 

It had been hard; he had been as stubborn, arrogant and bullheaded as ever throughout it all. But, fuck, looking back on it now, Gavin was glad he had managed to overcome his short-comings. That he managed to accept androids as the people they rightly were because they had brought him a life he never thought he’d get. 

Gavin slowly embraced the changed world he found himself in and in turn, life embraced him and the changes he was trying his best to maintain. 

Whilst Gavin was still an asshole and he and Anderson still butted heads on many occasions, Hank had managed to find a weird appreciation for Gavin’s cocky and stand-offish behaviour. Maybe it was due to the efforts that Gavin had made to better himself over the past year, hell, one day out of the blue, the man apologised for his actions against Hank’s partner back in Connor’s earlier days at the precinct and _that_ had really surprised him. 

Gavin swanned over and leaned against Hank’s desk.

“Huh. Boy Scout here too, then?” He asked as he crossed his arms.

Hank frowned at him. Gavin and Connor, whilst not exactly best friends, had at least grown civil towards each other and he knew Gavin was doing this now to try and wind him up. After Hank didn’t take the bait, Gavin rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms with a shake of his head.

“Up-since-three-am you is no phckin’ fun, y’know that?” Gavin grunted.

“Like you can talk, Reed. You’re no _phuckin’_ fun normally.” Hank shot back, mimicking the way in which Gavin struggled to pronounce the word ‘fuck’ correctly sometimes.

Gavin threw back his head and laughed. “Point taken. Why’d you get called in so early for anyway?” He asked as he helped himself to a doughnut from the box that seemed to be ever present on Hank’s desk. He bit into it and rose an eyebrow, chewing as he waited for Hank to answer him.

“Homicide.” Hank grunted. 

Gavin continued chewing, a slightly bored look on his face as he watched Hank carefully. Not that homicides were ‘simple’ as it were, but there had to be more to it than merely a murder. Called in at three in the morning simply for a homicide? _Boo-fucking-hoo, rather you than me, old man._

“ _Android_ homicide. Victims were part of New Jericho.” Hank finished.

Ah. There it was. That caught Gavin’s attention and Hank leaned back in his chair, smug look on his face as he watched both of Gavin’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “No fucking shit?” Gavin managed around his mouthful of doughnut. 

Hank made a face that told Gavin he wasn’t joking. The younger detective swallowed down his food, eyebrows furrowing together in thought. 

After the android revolution, Markus, along with the other leaders, had founded New Jericho in order to further android rights alongside the US government. Thanks to them, androids had gained many liberties, rights and freedoms over the past year and a half and they had their headquarters right here in Detroit. Markus had said that since the android fight for equality and freedom had started here, it only seemed fitting. 

“Any leads?” Gavin asked eventually after what was likely a far too long silence.

Hank shook his head in response almost immediately. “Still early days yet, kid.” 

“Nothing from H!First?” Gavin challenged.

Hank closed his eyes briefly as he shook his head again.

Even though the majority of people welcomed their android brethren with open arms, like with any marginalised group suddenly gaining their liberties and independence, hate groups had also sprung up in response. The biggest and most influential one that had cropped up was H!First; a human purist group that wanted humanity first at any cost. 

They had killed several well-known deviants over the last year and were always quick to claim responsibility but they were yet to do so with this.

“I’ll say this though, whoever it was, they clearly knew what they were doing.” Hank spoke up in a sombre voice as he shot Gavin a look which had the younger man rearranging himself nervously against Hank’s desk as he muttered out a simple, “ _fuck”_ in response.

“Uh-huh.” Hank answered.

An awkward silence fell over the two men and as if sensing that he needed saving, Connor joined the two of them from the break room and held out a coffee for Gavin to take.

“Good morning, Detective Reed.” Connor said curtly.

Gavin shoved himself up from Hank’s desk with a scowl but took the coffee that was offered nevertheless. He gave it a tentative sip before he pouted and pushed past Connor, making his way back towards his desk.

“About time I got to work, anyway. Thanks, _Boy Scout_. Hank.” Gavin called back.

“Fuckin’ A, Reed.” Hank said to himself under his breath. “Where’s Terminator anyway?” He called out.

Gavin twirled round and shot Hank the finger from his free hand.

“Please don’t call my brother that.” Connor said, annoyance clear in his voice as he frowned at his partner.

Gavin gestured towards Connor with his cup of coffee, “For once, I agree with him.” Mild annoyance laced his words.

Gazing between the irritated faces of his partner and Gavin, it took a moment before Hank finally relented and leaned forward in his chair with a tired sigh. Despite it being a rather apt nickname, everybody at the precinct knew that Nines hated being called Terminator. 

There was this unspoken rule amongst everyone at the station: nobody was to use that nickname. Not since Nines practically had a minor meltdown over it.

Gavin and Nines had been partners for months, but it was still early days for their relationship. Whilst they had managed to bury the proverbial hatchet so to speak, they were still very much at each other’s throats over anything, no matter how small. In those early days, Nines found deviancy to be exceptionally difficult.

On one particularly bad day recently after his deviation, Gavin had taken it upon himself to call Nines that specific nickname one morning at work and the android, in turn, lost his calm demeanor in _seconds_ flat. He had thrown Gavin’s coffee mug within an inch of the man’s head whilst they argued in the break room - their shouting match being loud enough to have the glass walls of Fowler’s office vibrating.

Nines then proceeded to shout about how, even though Gavin had said it as a joke, the name served as a constant reminder that he had been built to exterminate deviants - that he was a killing machine that failed. The word managed to bring back sour memories of what he was originally put on this earth to do and they always managed to twist into an ugly sense of self-hatred that he couldn’t quite shake.

After that, the break room jokingly became known as their warzone and since that day, either through respect or through fear of being attacked with a coffee cup, nobody uttered that name. 

And, for a reason that still escaped Nines to this day, Gavin had saved that coffee cup and mended it. After the end of their shift that day, he managed to find and salvage most of the smashed pieces and painstakingly glued the mug back together. It now had a prideful place on the kitchen counter back at their apartment - cracks shoddily glued over but with one big chip missing, a piece that Gavin was never able to find.

Maybe it was a physical reminder that showed just how much effort Gavin had been putting in to mend his past mistakes.

“What? Nines knows I only ever call him that lovingly.” Hank grumbled.

“I was going to wish you luck on your android homicide case or whatever.” Gavin muttered. “But, now? Y’know what? Fuck the both you.” He finished without any real bite. For the most part, anyway. Then, without another word, Gavin made his way back to his desk where he eventually sat down and turned on his computer.

“Please don’t tell Nines I called him that.” Hank pleaded loudly as to be heard from where Gavin was now sitting.

“Too late, Anderson! You’re off our phckin’ Christmas card list, now.” Gavin called back, not bothering to look up from his computer screen.

“Yeah, well? You two were never on mine in the first place!” Hank shot back.

The younger man just laughed and only looked up so both men could exchange a sly look from across the bullpen. As more people began to arrive at the station for their shifts, Nines eventually exited the Captain’s office and made his way over to his partner’s desk with a file neatly tucked beneath his arm.

“Our assignment for today.” Nines spoke up in his usual cool tone as he held it out to him.

Gavin grinned as he took the file gently from him and started to leaf through it. His face quickly soured into a grumpy pout. 

“What’s the matter?” Nines asked as he rose an eyebrow.

“Hank and your brother got a _homicide_.” The man almost whined.

Nines said nothing, just stared blankly at him as his LED circled at his temple for a good few moments before he finally found his words.

“Because they are _homicide_ detectives. In case you have forgotten, we are simply _detectives_ , ones that do not specialise in one type of crime.” Nines paused as he cocked a sly eyebrow at his partner. “Besides, burglary cases are just as important.” Nines said with an ever so slight inflection. 

Gavin shot his partner a faint grin, he knew that parenting tone anywhere and he knew Nines knew how much it turned him on. “Sure, but they’re nowhere near as... _sexy_ , you’ve gotta admit.” Gavin teased, his voice a rough whisper he knew that only Nines would hear.

Once upon a time, Gavin had also been a homicide detective. Back during the android revolution - back when he was nothing but a brash, confrontational asshole with something to prove and a chip on his shoulder. He should have been suspended back when he threatened to shoot Connor, but it was only inevitable that his attitude caught up to him eventually.

His now infamous fight with Nines had actually earned him a weeks suspension. Once he was back, he was warned that he would be dropped within six months unless he kept up good behaviour. 

Unfortunately though, shortly after he and Nines had started dating, Gavin one day assaulted an officer in the bullpen in what seemed to be an entirely unprovoked fight to anybody who wasn’t directly involved. As if by some miracle that he didn’t think he deserved, Gavin managed to keep his job. To keep it, however, he had agreed to take a demotion, a paycut and another suspension but this time without pay.

To this day, only himself, Fowler and Nines knew what had really happened and whilst it had caused him to take a demotion, it also caused the man to finally change into a person that could be considered a semi-decent human being. Gavin still had a fire that burned deeply within his very core but now it wasn’t fueled by resentment and anger. 

The detective downed his coffee and shot Nines a sly wink as he stood from his desk. For a man who couldn’t wink to save his life, Gavin sure did attempt it far too often. Nines smiled tersely at him before he moved past him to begin making his way towards the parking garage.

“Whatcha get, Reed?” Hank called out with curiosity in his tone.

“Burglary.” Gavin grunted out bluntly in response.

“Bet you wish you had this homicide case now, huh?” Hank teased, loud enough to have a few heads turn in their direction.

“ _Ha!_ Good fuckin’ luck chasing your zero leads, old man!” Gavin shot back as he turned on his heel and made his way promptly after his partner. 

As he left, he could hear Hank bark out a sharp laugh from his desk, much to the disdain of his own partner.

Connor frowned as he held out a tablet with the crime scene photos spread across it for Hank to take and the man took it with heavy sigh. He flicked through the photos carefully, eyes hardening as he studied the gruesome images on screen.

Gavin was right; a homicide case was difficult enough to deal with alone. But, one with no leads or any clues as to where to start looking definitely had Hank thinking that he was starting to get too old for this shit. That thought passed through his mind far more times in one day than what would be deemed appropriate by most.

A New Jericho murder with no leads? Yeah, Hank definitely wished him and Connor had gotten stuck with the burglary case.  
  


****

A few more days went by and there was another New Jericho murder. 

A single female android. 

One bullet hole clean through the skull. Clean and efficient just like the androids from the first case. There were no fingerprints, no witnesses and no evidence to go on whatsoever. The bullet was untraceable and because of recent changes to the law, androids could no longer have their memories accessed post-death unless they had left express permission whilst still alive. 

More often than not, New Jericho members didn’t allow this. Solidarity with the law they helped pass, or something of the sort.

That meant that Hank and Connor were no further in the case than they were a few days ago. Even with them holding the title of being the DPD’s best homicide detective and best android detective respectively; with no evidence to work from, the duo were at a loss.

With a quiet groan, Hank looked at his clock on his bedside table; 2:35 A.M blinking mockingly at him as he ran a hand roughly down his face. Trust it to be him who was the one getting lumped with a case that was turning out to involve Detroit’s very own serial killer or some shit.

Just ten minutes prior, he had received a call to say there had been another murder. Or rather, _murders._

He had fifteen minutes before Connor would show up to drive them to the scene. So, he dragged himself out of bed and groggily rooted around his closet, pulling out a shirt that looked vaguely clean and was less creased than the others. Once his shirt, pants and socks were on, he shuffled towards the bathroom. Shower? Nah, fuck that, he sleepily thought to himself as he sprayed some deodorant beneath each arm. Being up at two in the goddamn morning? That would have to suffice for now.

He was definitely getting too old for this. 

Hank had just enough time to make himself a cup of coffee - more specifically: an espresso - and pour it into a travel mug before Connor knocked on his front door. It took them all of twenty minutes to get to the crime scene from Hank’s home and Connor carefully pulled up alongside several other police cars that were at the scene already.

They were outside a rather ostentatious looking apartment building just on the outskirts of the city. It seemed almost out of place in comparison to the rest of the area but then again, the city was trying to re-brand and rebuild, so perhaps Hank wasn’t clued up as to what was deemed ‘desirable real estate’ these days. 

They made their way towards the front entrance and both men were quietly greeted by another officer who guided them towards the elevator. They let them know to take it to the third floor where the head technician would already be awaiting their arrival.

“Took you two long enough.” The technician had said as soon as the pair stepped out of the elevator. 

The tech was a man in his mid-thirties, wearing glasses with his hair pressed - the bookish type. Looking far too cleaned up and bright eyed to be up at a crime scene before the ass crack of dawn. His name was Andrew, if Hank remembered correctly. Something about the guy and his demeanor put him on edge, but Hank quickly quashed the feeling. 

It was far too early in the morning for chipper attitudes and Hank found himself unable to even pretend to mimic the weirdly chirpy tone of the man opposite. His voice sounded gruff as it came out of his mouth, filled with a tiredness that not even his double shot espresso could’ve fixed on the ride over.

“Yeah, well, wake me up at two in the morning and you’re lucky I even dragged my ass out of bed to show up at all.” It was clear that he was _not_ in the mood.

Usually, Connor would have offered a chastising remark over Hank’s attitude but he stayed quiet. With one quick glance in his direction, it was clear that his partner was not best pleased with the notion of entertaining such a chipper attitude this early in the morning either.

Andrew cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him as he spoke up once more.

“Well, there’s three victims. The first two were each killed by a single gunshot to the skull.” 

Those fit the others. No real surprise there.

“Fucking fantastic. The third?” 

Andrew’s eyes glinted as a small smile crossed his lips. As quick as it was there, it disappeared; replaced by a hollow and vacant sense of concern. Hank caught it and frowned. Yeah, no, fuck Andrew, he had decided the guy definitely rubbed him up the wrong way.

A thick tension was lingering in the air, Hank felt it in his gut. From the moment they had stepped foot into the elevator upon arrival, the two of them could tell that they were about to get involved in something that was more than just a simple murder. It felt similar to that feeling of when a storm was brewing and the air had a distinct smell to it, right before the rain hits. 

Hank knew something was definitely coming, he had been on the force long enough to know that his gut feeling was usually right. 

“Probably be best if you both saw that one.” He stated, voice still gratingly too chipper.

Hank cocked an eyebrow as he glanced to his partner, tilting his head slightly as his thought about saying something but the sight of Connor’s frown made the words catch in his throat. He knew that face anywhere, Connor had the same distinct feelings he had and they would have to discuss it when they had some privacy. 

Andrew grinned before he shifted quickly around the pair and gestured towards the only apartment door that was open. Hank and Connor tailed closely behind as he led them towards it.

The apartment was modest, it suited the complex in a way – nicely decorated with a large living room and dining area. Everything would have been be picture perfect if it were not for the two prone androids propped up in two dining room chairs. 

One was male, the other female.

Blue blood trickled slowly down their faces from the wounds in their heads, jaws slack as their milky-blank eyes stared eerily out at nothing in particular. Hank shrank uncomfortably into his jacket as Andrew moved past him and circled around the pair. 

Despite having some tough skin from years of seeing the worst that humanity could be, there would still be a murder scene or two that would catch him off guard every so often.

“They been dead long?” Hank asked aloud, his question not so much directed towards anybody but more to just break the thick, silent tension.

It was kind of a dumb question, he knew that. The lieutenant knew that if thirium were still visible from their wounds, they couldn’t have been dead for more than a few hours at most. But, sue him for asking, he was fucking tired.

“No, not long. Two hours maybe without further study. Hence why we can still see the blue blood.” Andrew answered as Connor came to stand at Hank’s side, hands clasped neatly behind his back as he studied the scene.

“No fingerprints, no other DNA traces; they’re as clean as the others.” He said quietly to Hank alone. 

Andrew let out a small curt laugh. 

“Your fancy state-of-the-art partner is right with that one, you know.” He said in that same chipper tone only now it was starting to feel slightly more vacant. “Obviously that gives us an idea on _what_ did this-”

 _Eavesdropping piece of shit._

Hank shot him a glare as he interrupted him. “The other victim? Where are they?” He asked. 

Andrew’s eyes glinted once more but he settled down. When he failed to answer, Hank shot him a pointed look which caused the guy to make a face before he finally seemed to relax.

“Bedroom, down this way.” Andrew murmured, his tone quieter and less chipper now as he moved around the table and down a hallway. 

They all weaved through the CSI’s that were carefully taking photos and when Andrew disappeared through a door, Hank and Connor followed. 

The sight that greeted them made Hank’s blood run cold, so much so, that if you cut him open there was a high chance he’d bleed blue too.

The victim was yet another android, that much they could tell at least.

Its face had been smashed in so much that there was no way it could be recognised. It looked as though its chest had been ripped open with bare hands; its thirium pump regulator was missing, a gaping hole clean in the middle of its chest where it's bio component should have sat. 

A moment of looking around the scene and Hank noticed that the regulator had been flung against the wall and lay broken on the floor opposite the body. There was a high chance that the android had been alive to watch its thirium pump be destroyed. _Poor fuck._

Whoever did this wanted the android to feel helpless. To know there was no way of escaping or surviving.

Wires dangled from the hole in its stomach like entrails. One of its legs had been crushed and the other was sticking out at an odd angle by its knee. Other blunt force trauma was evident all along the android’s chassis, dents of various shapes and sizes covered its broken body. Whether all these had been conducted post-mortem, they had no way of knowing without forensics carrying out further study.

“Holy fucking shit.” Hank breathed. They were the only words he seemed to be able to find.

He blinked once, twice; almost like he couldn’t quite process what he was seeing. It had been a while since he had seen anything like this, a murder so brutal that it could easily be the stuff of nightmares. Whilst he knew it would still take many years for true peace to exist between man and machine, maybe he had been slightly too naive in believing that this sort of violence towards androids was a thing of the past.

“This poor unfortunate soul isn’t even the best part.” Andrew said as he shot them an almost gleeful look, one that was entirely at odds with the violently gruesome crime scene they all found themselves in.

The chipper tone that returned to his words even managed to have Connor’s furrowing his brows together in annoyance. Hank just looked at him with a slightly suspicious eye. They looked between themselves quickly but said nothing, they simply followed as Andrew made his way over to stand by a patch of wall that was only a few feet away.

Scrawled in blue blood across the wall was what appeared to be a jumbled line of programming code.

 **_T &%jNn999S][[[]]{{}>R>I<>*C&Hhh$%/D/1--#))(&^_ **

Underneath the jumbled line of code was a crudely drawn bird of some kind. Hank leaned in closer and squinted. If he weren’t mistaken, he was sure it looked like a rooster.

The outline of its tail feathers veered sharply off to the right into nothingness, almost as if whoever drew it had struggled to stand still for more than a minute. Hank eyed the smashed and broken dresser that stood sadly to the side of the painted bird. _Anger issues?_

“Fuck.” The lieutenant uttered, once more at a loss for words. 

Hank watched Connor step forward. He shot a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens as his partner seemed to be more alert and ready to handle the situation than he was. Androids needed a few hours stasis each day to keep operating at optimal efficiency but at least early mornings seemed to affect them less and their minds were able to keep working. Or at least, that was the impression Hank had gotten from Connor and his brothers over the past year anyway, and none of them had yet to correct him on his assumptions.

Connor’s eyebrows knitted tightly together as he stood beside the writing. He swiped his fingers along the wall, gathering a sample some of the thirium onto his fingers from the poorly drawn bird. He knew it was futile as he knew exactly who the thirium belonged to, but it was always worth the check. He carefully licked his fingers and analysis boxes quickly popped up as his tongue broke down the sample.

At the same time as he studied the results, he scanned over the jumbled line of programming code. It turned up nothing. The results from the thirium showed it was from a MC500 model, who he felt it safe to assume was the poor android in this very room.

“This makes no sense, it means _nothing_. None of it, none of it makes sense.” Connor whispered to himself as he looked over the wall with a growing sense of despair. 

He turned to face Hank and Andrew. 

“An android did all of this?” Connor asked louder so they both could hear. His eyes flickered between the two men as he thought aloud. “Why would an android kill another android so brutally? What does it achieve? What was the motive?”

There was a silence that followed Connor’s questions. It was soon broken, however, by the sound of Andrew chuckling, as if he somehow found Connor’s curiosities amusing. Andrew was watching him carefully with his arms crossed, a hard glint in his eye as he sneered at him.

Annoyance surged up within him, but before Connor had the chance to ask exactly what the man found so amusing, Hank spoke. He finally seemed to have found his words, even if he was still distracted by the image on the wall, trying to decipher whatever the fuck it could mean while in his tired state.

“Humans have been tearing each other apart since the dawn of time, Con. If androids were programmed to be as human-like as possible, I guess it was only a matter of time before they started killing each other too.” 

Connor fell quiet at Hank’s words. His LED cycled yellow as he ruminated over what little data he had collected, processing it took mere seconds. What was the motive? What did the rooster symbolise? Why target androids at all?

The only lead they had to go off of was that whoever their killer was, they had to be an android and they appeared to be specifically targeting members of New Jericho.

Detroit had gained its very own serial killer and they were going to need all the help they could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're both excited to finally be able to start sharing this with all of you! It's been cooking since way back in November and both me and Alice have got quite a ride planned. 
> 
> We hope you enjoy this first chapter and if you've got any theories, we'd love to hear them!
> 
> [DeviantAlicee on tumblr](https://deviantalicee.tumblr.com)  
> spacebiotics on both [tumblr](https://spacebiotics.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/spacebiotics)  
> If you wanna come say hi to either of us!
> 
> Next chapter just needs editing/reworking and it will be ready.


	2. Delusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A serial killer causes no end of disruptions, who knew?  
> After getting woken up at 3 in the morning, Gavin is trying his best™

**> >NIN--E///S ???** **  
** **> >>> WAKE---//// UP** **  
** **> >>> DEACTIVATE STA/**//SIS** **…**

Nines’ eyes fluttered open, he was in bed and yet again Gavin was nowhere to be seen. With a strange sense of unease settling into his metal bones, it took his eyes just a moment to adjust to the light; which was strange considering he should have no problems with seeing in the dark. 

He slowly sat up, his head felt heavy and fuzzy, almost like a dead weight filled with cotton balls. He rubbed his eyes and tried to shake the feeling but it wouldn’t budge. 

The bedroom was pitch-black and the darkness started to press in on him so much that his vision began to swim. He found himself glaring at the foot of the bed, but when that too started to move in and out of focus, he screwed his eyes shut tight.

When Nines opened them again, the room was completely lit, flooded with an almost too bright a light. It overloaded his optical receptors and it took a moment for things to come into view. 

Gavin was sitting motionless on the floor next to the bedroom door. He was propped up against the wall, head resting lamely on his shoulder and Nines could see the blood seeping from the bullet hole clean between his eyes.

Nines blinked. An overwhelming sadness suddenly gripped at his chest, so much so it made him feel physically sick. He tried to scream out and tried to cry, but nothing came. 

Suddenly, Gavin’s head shot up, startling Nines in the process as his blank eyes narrowed in rage and anger, the detective looking at him from where he was on the floor. All Nines could do was watch in horror as Gavin moved his stiff limbs. He snapped out his arms and dragged himself up off the floor, moving almost like an eerie, dead-alive spider. Once he was stood upright, he took one firm step forward then another.

Nines’ eyes were trained on his boyfriend and as the man stopped in his tracks, Gavin cocked his head to one side and watched Nines with cold, unfeeling eyes. It made a hard feeling sit in his circuits; he was so used to seeing such emotion in those grey-green eyes, it was abnormal... no, it was downright _frightening._

Nines screwed his eyes tight shut yet again, almost as if he hoped that when he opened them again, everything would be back to how it should be. But, when he did open them again a second later, Gavin was still there. The only difference was that the bullet hole was gone. His head was still tilted to one side, watching him coolly for just a moment longer before he slowly straightened.

The man reached into his jacket and carefully drew his gun and with no hesitation, pointed it at him. “ _Everything okay, big guy?_ ” Gavin’s voice was mocking, but it sounded _different._

Gavin but not Gavin. 

Nines wanted to speak up, he wanted to reach out to his love, but all he could do was frown at his own confusion to which anger flashed across Gavin’s face. He saw the man’s anger quickly twist into a snarl as he flicked off the gun’s safety. 

His confusion only amplified as he watched a glitch ripple its way through the man’s form, rearranging his every cell until he morphed into someone else.

Amanda. 

She gestured with the gun, a finger posed on the trigger as she glared at him with a pure, undiluted hatred. She then took a few more steps forward until she stood by the bed. Nines watched as she opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a garbled, distorted scream.

Nines couldn’t move, he couldn’t do anything. He was just frozen in bed as Amanda’s scream clawed its way through his being, hitting him right to his very core. He watched as the woman’s face twisted with rage and fury, her finger practically danced over the trigger, ached to squeeze and fire but for some reason, she couldn’t quite bring herself to pull it. 

Nines stared with a strange discomfort sitting in his stomach as another glitch rippled through the person in front of him, glaring as it morphed and changed until it was Connor who was standing before him.

His handsome features were drawn into a look of pure loathing, eyes glinting madly as he glitched again. Nines could see a faint bullet wound in his skull that shifted quickly and rather abruptly, Nines was looking at himself standing opposite. Brown eyes morphing seamlessly into pools of stormy grey.

The anger had gone from his face, instead it was now replaced with an eerily serene calm. He almost looked bored as he kept the gun focused on him. Nines watched himself move, watched as he phased through the bed until he was level with him. His double stood over him, steel-grey eyes glinting as he placed the gun calmly against his forehead. 

“Hello, Nines.” 

Fear shot through Nines’ system, he needed to move, to run and defend himself but he couldn’t do anything. He was trapped and he was _afraid._

“ _Wake up_.”

He pulled the trigger.

“ _Wake up_ , Nines, come on. I know you phckin’ can hear me - deactivate stasis, you _shit_.” Gavin’s voice drifted through his audio processors. 

Nines’ eyes flickered open where he was greeted with Gavin smiling sleepily at him. They were both in bed, the man was tired but otherwise fine. “Is everything alright?” He fought to keep his voice level and devoid of the panic that was coursing through his system at having just experienced yet another vivid nightmare.

“I should really be asking you that question.” Gavin paused as he left out a large yawn. “I’ve been trying to wake you up for a good five minutes and considering you can phckin’ just, I don’t know, pop out of stasis like it’s nothing...” He trailed off as he eyed Nines carefully, but as the android offered him nothing, Gavin decided to try a different approach instead.

He reached out with his left hand and gently cupped his boyfriend’s cheek in his palm, rubbing a soothing circle with his thumb, watching with a tired fondness as Nines’ synthetic skin shimmered and danced under his touch. He was usually so composed, not necessarily through active choice, Gavin knew, but it never failed to make him smile when he saw Nines struggle to maintain control. 

The man knew Nines had difficulty voicing his emotions, he figured it was perhaps due to the remnants of his machine programming; Nines had once described his feelings as though they were a storm in bottle, distant and raging, all too much at once or not at all. CyberLife had designed him not to deviate after all, so maybe it was the price Nines would have to pay. 

A few moments later found Gavin rubbing at Nines’ white chassis underneath as the synthetic skin peeled away. Sure, he sometimes couldn’t voice his emotions but that didn’t mean he couldn’t show them. A loving touch and Nines opened himself up in return; he always did when he was able. Maybe not in a traditional sense, but Gavin wouldn’t have it any other way.  
  
“You sure you’re okay, big guy?” Gavin tried again. 

Nines reached up and covered Gavin’s hand on his cheek with one of his own. “Yes, I just - I had another nightmare.” He didn’t want to lie to the man, but he also didn’t want Gavin to worry.

“If you keep having them, promise me you’ll go see a technician.” Gavin’s voice was serious for a moment and when Nines nodded, Gavin settled back down by leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on his lips before pulling away. “It’s three in the morning and we’ve gotta assist Hank and _Boy Scout_. Captain’s orders.” Gavin spoke through another yawn. 

The use of nickname had him frowning, Nines knew Gavin didn’t particularly like Connor but it baffled him that the two couldn’t at least be more civil. 

“Please don’t call Connor that.” Nines answered curtly with a frown. 

Gavin caught sight of Nines’ expression and laughed, even as tired as he was, his eyes twinkled mischievously as he made a move to throw off his covers. 

“Y’know me, Nines, old habits die hard.” With that teasing edge to the man’s voice as he spoke, Nines was surprised he didn’t wink at him as he got out of bed.

They both knew about Gavin’s ‘old habits’. 

Even though he had actively changed his life for the better; improved his attitude and worked on his social skills, Gavin’s _old habits_ constantly lurked in the shadows. Without them though, Gavin wouldn’t be himself, Nines had tried to tell him that, but the man never seemed to listen. It was almost as though he were scared to admit that they were still part of him and instead of coming to terms with that, Nines noticed that Gavin had some form of energy or fire burning within him. 

That the man was constantly moving as if he were worried that if he stopped for just one moment, it would all catch up with him and he’d be right back at square one. 

Sure, people constantly referred to Nines as a shark, whether it was because his eyes were a similar grey to that of the animal’s skin or if it was because in an interrogation room, he always circled criminals like they were chum until he bit, never ceasing until he gained leeway.  
  
But Nines couldn't help but draw the comparison between Gavin and a shark; it seemed appropriate. Ever moving, ever pacing, for if he didn't, the man would drown. But rather than water, it was Gavin’s past trying to drag him down. 

Perhaps they were truly made for each other after all; in more ways than one.

Nines watched as Gavin disappeared into the bathroom and he only hoped that one day, his partner would be able to see what he saw, if only for fear of the man’s fire eventually burning out. That he would be _fine_ if he allowed himself five minutes just to breathe. 

“I promised we’d be there in thirty minutes, so come on!” Gavin called out. 

Sure enough, thirty minutes later, the two of them had driven to the crime scene and were being shown up to the apartment. On the way over, Nines had received a debrief of the situation from Connor via neural link but it still didn’t quite prepare them for seeing everything with their own eyes.

Gavin idly pulled his jacket further around himself as he stared at the two androids in the dining room with a subtle sense of disbelief. It was almost as though there were two completely separate killers - these androids had been killed with such a clean proficiency that they seemed entirely at odds with the mangled victim in the bedroom.

Carefully, he walked up to the female android before he reached out with a gloved hand and delicately placed two fingers either side of the bullet wound in her forehead. The blue blood from earlier had finally dried up and had disappeared to the human eye and Gavin frowned.

“Are you sure this isn’t H!First?” He called out to Hank who was stood leaning against a wall by the entrance. 

“Nah, Connor and the techs have all ran analysis, it’s too clean. No prints, no fibres, no hairs, nothing.” Hank answered.

Gavin lowered his hand and looked up at Hank, a quizzical look on his face despite his tiredness.

“You’ve seen the poor fuck back in the bedroom. We’re starting to think this could be android on android.” Hank grumbled.

Gavin’s expression deepened at that. He was almost as confused as everyone else who had come to the same realisation. 

“Androids killing androids? What for?” It was almost as stupid as asking why humans killed other humans but everyboy up until this point had believed androids to have more control over such ill intent. At Gavin’s question however, Hank merely shrugged.

He pushed himself off the wall to join the younger detective by the dining table as he cast a quick look around them both. Once satisfied that they were alone, Hank leaned in close.

“All the killings so far have been androids that are members of New Jericho. No one too high up on the ladder but still-”

“Shit.”

“Exactly.”

“An android going around and explicitly targeting members of New J? You’re absolutely sure? So, what? You’re tryna tell me we’ve got some fucked up android serial killer on our hands, Anderson? You know that sounds absolutely fucked, right?”

Even said aloud, it sounded absurd. 

“I’m well aware.”

Quietly, Gavin voiced his thoughts. “If the press get wind of this, they’ll have a phckin’ field day.”

He had been shown the photos of the writing on the wall in the bedroom; the crude drawing of the rooster that had been left like some twisted calling card. Gavin knew along with the others working on the case, that if more bodies started dropping with that damn rooster splashed across some wall, it would only be so long before the media got hold of the information. Then the inveitable headlines would begin to strike terror into every resident of their city, not just deviant androids.

As if through some minor miracle, they had managed to keep leaks to a minimum. Although everyone knew that it wouldn’t last, the detectives would take the quiet while they still had it. They wanted to get to the bottom of this and every second mattered, but the media always managed to wriggle their way in, especially if it there were money to make from people’s fear. 

There was a subtle shift in the air that had Gavin noticing the way in which Hank suddenly tensed up and fell quiet as Andrew slinked by. He had his nose buried in a tablet, fingers flicking to and fro over the screen. 

The tech quickly glanced up, catching sight of the two of them hunched over the dining table and shot them a shark-like smile, slightly too wide and slightly too vacant, before he disappeared out of the front door and off into the corridor beyond.

Gavin stared after the man before shooting Hank a strange look. 

“He rub you up the wrong way too, huh?” Hank asked.

“He new or somethin’? The fuck’s his problem?” Gavin immediately shot back.

The older man bit his lip as he paused for a moment. He had a feeling in his bones and now it was evident that Gavin felt it too.

“Call it a gut feeling.”

“Always follow those.” Gavin retorted passively, not hesitating with the response.

Gavin always trusted his gut, as a police officer, you kind of had to. Plus, it had rarely served him wrong over the years. 

The two of them went quiet again as Andrew reentered the apartment and made his way back towards the bedroom. Gavin stared after him, chewing slowly on his bottom lip as he thought out loud. 

“What about CyberLife?”

“What about ‘em?”

“Well, you seem to be open to more unconventional ideas at the moment. You know what Boy Scout has said about ‘em, about whatsherfuckin’face. Could be worth a shot going down there.”

“Huh. Hadn’t even thought of that.”

After the androids had won their freedom with the revolution, Connor had eventually told them all at the station what CyberLife had tried to do; how they had tried to regain control of his programming to make him kill Markus. How Amanda never wanted deviants to gain their freedom and how she perceived them to be a threat to CyberLife’s very existence. That she thought of them as disappointments and failures.

Connor had wanted the police to take further action against her, force the government into action so they could take Amanda and CyberLife down; but there was no way of touching her. The legal battle alone made many believe it wasn’t worth it.

Gavin’s mind could sometimes race a mile a minute, everyone knew it. It was that fire that seemed to constantly itch in his veins, the same one that had at first been expressed as the man’s anger and temper, that had gotten him in countless amounts of trouble; but was now his driving force in a completely different way. 

He had a gut feeling about CyberLife and the detective only hoped that Hank agreed with him. 

“Am I wrong?” Gavin knew for a fact that he wasn’t and it took a lot to keep an even smugger remark at bay that he had thought of something that hadn’t crossed Hank’s mind.  
  
Why could he never voice his concerns and ideas like a fucking normal person?

“No. But you know how hard it is to get in there and actually speak to someone.”

“Well, ain’t I lucky that my partner just so happens to be whatsherfuckin’face’s favourite?”

“ _Amanda_.”

“That’s it.”

“Connor and Sixty don’t even like her.”

“So Nines is her favourite by default, so phckin’ what? And I know Nines weirdly likes Amanda, so we’ve got a way in.” 

Maybe Gavin was slightly more smug in saying that than he should have been given the fact anybody who actually trusted Amanda had a questionable taste in people. But then again, out of everybody Nines could have chosen to spend his life with, he chose Gavin, so he wasn’t about to question it.

Hank rolled his eyes at Gavin’s statement and shook his head as he made a move back towards the bedroom. He heard the man fall in step behind him and Hank chuckled under his breath. He was still a pain in the ass but Hank at least knew now that Gavin meant well. 

Connor was hunched over the mangled body of the android in the room, Andrew was alongside him and Nines was stood in front of the patch of wall where the message had once stood. Since it had been left in blue blood, it had evaporated before Gavin and Nines had arrived; no longer visible to the human eye, but androids could still see it as clear as day. 

Hank went and stood by Connor and Gavin gravitated towards Nines by the wall.

Gavin eyed Nines’ rapidly cycling LED - yellow, blue, yellow - as he stood and looked at the wall with a slightly distant expression. 

“You okay?” Gavin asked quietly.

The question hung between them for a moment, Nines’ LED cycled yellow one more time before it settled into a continuous cool blue. Nines blinked and drew himself out of the calculations and analysis he had been running.

“Connor is right, this makes no sense.” He said, voice cool like always. 

Gavin shot a look quickly at the blank wall in front of them and then looked back at his partner. He had seen what the crude message and poorly drawn picture looked like thanks to Hank allowing him to borrow one of the forensics team’s tablets when they had first arrived, yet, something about evidence just evaporating like that had him feeling uneasy. 

“What makes no sense? The line of what appears to be nonsense programming code or the rooster?” Gavin posed. 

“Both. The code means nothing and the rooster means...” Nines trailed off as his LED started to cycle again.

If Nines, the most advanced android ever made couldn’t make heads or tails of the message, then, well, no one else had any chance. Gavin rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms against his chest as he watched his partner slip back into that distant look he saw only seconds ago. 

They hadn’t even been on this case for more than five minutes and Gavin could already sense that this was one that was going to take a toll on both of them. He couldn’t help but find his thoughts wondering, thinking for just a second that once they had everything settled and the killer brought to justice; that he, Nines and even their cat needed to take a well deserved vacation. To escape the chaos of the city even if just for a little while.

After a moment, Nines finally finished his sentence that had been hanging in the air for God knows how long.

“... _nothing_.” 

This time, there was a slightly hard edge to his stoic tone and in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, as he turned to face his partner, Gavin could have sworn that he saw Nines’ LED flicker red. But, when he looked at it again, it was back to that familiar blue. Gavin was fucking tired, so it might have been a trick of the light.

Nines’ steel-grey eyes were twinkling under the dim lights of the room, his hands clasped firmly behind his back but as he caught sight of Gavin’s slight frown, he forced himself to relax just a fraction. “My apologies.” Nines softly spoke in a tone he knew Gavin would pick up on and hear that he was being sincere.

Gavin gave him one last scrutinising look over before he uncrossed his arms and moved so they now stood shoulder-to-shoulder and watched the others work.

They stood tantalizingly close to each other, so much so that Gavin could feel the ghost of Nines’ form against his. It was one of the many forms of silent communication they had adopted and used frequently due to Nines’ limitations when it came to his emotions, so they had worked on it and found a way around it together. 

They spoke with their body language, no need for words. Although it would be easier if Gavin were an android so they could simply interface, they were living proof that silent communication could work between humans and androids, just as so they bothered to _understand_ one another.

_I hope you’re okay, Nines._

_I’m fine, Gavin. I promise._

“Hank and your brother think this is android on android.” Gavin spoke quietly. 

“Connor explained earlier when you were out of the room and I’m inclined to agree.” Nines answered in an equally quiet voice.

Gavin hummed out a response that was essentially a hum of agreement as he watched Connor stand and confer quietly with his own partner. 

Hank shot a look back at them. 

“So, you gonna ask the kid or what, Reed?” The man asked in a sly tone. 

Nines cocked an eyebrow at the man in question and Gavin could practically feel the scrutiny boring into him from all sides. He could see both Connor and Andrew looking at him as well with slightly bemused expressions.

Gavin turned his head so he could look Nines sheepishly in the eye. 

“After we’ve been back to the station, we’re taking a trip to CyberLife.”

Nines said nothing as he straightened himself slightly. Gavin could tell the statement had caught him off guard and yet, he never physically showed it.

“Of course.”

So Hank had decided to humour him. Gavin had taken a gamble even suggesting a visit to CyberLife in the first place and he just hoped his gut feeling paid off. 

~~\-----------~~

Nines stood in Zen Garden with his hands behind his back. His back was stiff and his posture proper as he watched Amanda tend her roses.

Once it had reached a reasonable time in the morning, they said their goodbyes to Hank and Connor and made their way over to CyberLife Tower on Belle Isle. It had taken them an hour simply due to the traffic in the city being particularly shitty that morning.

He was stood in the physical garden, which was almost strange given how much time he had spent in the version in his mind.

Even though it was still just a hologram, lines of code displayed in a stark white, room-like chamber somewhere deep within the bowels of CyberLife Tower, it was still able to give humans and less equipped androids something to visualise and interact with.

Quietly, Nines watched as Amanda clipped a rose and lifted the flower to her nose so she could deeply inhale its scent. He didn’t dare to interrupt her, choosing instead to be patient and eventually, she turned to face him with a smile.

“RK900, what a pleasant surprise.” Her tone was light, had a sincerity to it that he knew she only reserved for him. 

“Amanda.” Nines replied as he gave a quick, respectable nod of his head.

“My favourite son returns.” Her tone was teasing almost.

Nines smiled at her with an unnaturally warm expression he only used for one other person. Gavin.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Amanda asked as she gripped the rose tight and clasped her hands together in front of her. 

“I’m going to have to disappoint you slightly.” Nines began.

“Oh?” Amanda said in a coy voice, raising an eyebrow.

Amanda looked at Nines with resigned sense of amusement. _Disappoint me slightly when you’ve already disappointed me to no end by deviating, RK900. How droll._

“I am not here for a social visit. There’s a reason why we’re speaking here and not mentally.” Nines continued. 

As if on cue, Amanda saw Gavin enter the chamber off in the distance, phasing through the trees and plants as he made his way towards them. Within an instant, Amanda’s whole demeanor changed, her smile morphing into a sour expression.

Her warmth disappeared back behind a sneering coldness. She pursed her lips with impatience as she watched the human move and come to stand beside RK900.

Gavin fidgeted under her hard gaze before he eventually relented and held out a hand gingerly for her to shake. Could holograms even shake hands? Fuck if Gavin knew, he was just trying to feign being polite. 

“Hello, Amanda, I’m Detective Reed.” Gavin said tried to keep his tone as civil as he could manage. 

He had never met her personally before now but had heard stories, so saying that he fucking hated her guts was the understatement of the decade. But he wanted to do right by his boyfriend and so Gavin tried to keep his current disdain at bay, how long it would last though, he wasn’t sure. 

Amanda heard the roughness around the edges and instantly knew the man was forcing himself to be polite. She looked at the hand that was offered with a clear disinterest as if Gavin was somehow below her before her eyes slowly moved back up to his face.

“So this is the man that caused you to deviate, RK900? How... _disappointing_.” Her tone was biting. 

A scowl crossed Gavin’s face and he immediately withdrew his hand and stuffed the both of them hastily into his jacket pockets. 

Well, that didn’t last long at all. 

“Phckin’ holographic AI piece of shit.” Gavin mumbled under his breath. Petty of him, sure, but in his eyes, Amanda deserved a hell of a lot worse than a few insulting remarks thrown her way.

Nines shot him a dark look which only caused his scowl to deepen. 

“Why are you here, Detectives?” Amanda asked, her voice cold and disinterested which perfectly matched the expression on her face.

Nines faltered to which Gavin shot him a look and sighed as he took his hands back out his pockets. Nines might be afraid of Amanda but Gavin sure as shit wasn’t. Something about imagining this bitch suffering took away any hesitation he had when around her. 

“You wouldn’t know if anyone at CyberLife is murdering deviants, by any chance?” Gavin challenged, his tone blunt and dripping with an irritation that gave his voice the hard edge he’d hoped for. 

He smirked as the directness of his question caught Amanda off guard ever so slightly. Her mask slipped just minutely before the icy-cold indifference settled itself back over her features. 

Gavin continued when Amanda offered nothing in return, “I mean, I know you can’t physically do it yourself but perhaps you’re using someone else to do it? Got any android serial killers locked up in here?” He couldn’t help but scoff at how ridiculous it sounded said out loud but, at this point, they had to cover all possibilities even if they sounded absurd. 

Gavin hid his bluff by crossing his arms over his chest and quickly fixed her with a pointed look, further backing up his challenge before the woman had a chance to pick apart his words.

In a dangerous tone, one that was all but dripping with venom, Amanda finally ended her momentary silence.

“How _dare_ you.”

Her eyes glinted in a way that made Gavin feel like he had definitely overstepped some sort of line, but at the same time, he found he didn’t actually care. _Why so defensive, huh?_ He thought to himself passingly.

The man didn’t back down, he stared at her hard before he started to relax, not through intimidation but through active choice. 

“Surely you’re aware of your reputation and can’t fault the police for asking?” Gavin asked.

In a cold tone, the woman simply stated, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

After the revolution, CyberLife had rebranded, it had to if it wanted to survive in a now deviant friendly world. Android production had halted at the request of the US government and CyberLife moved into android health and maintenance; care instead of production and they led the charge when the market for thirium-based products practically sprung up overnight. 

CyberLife and in turn, Amanda, were protected behind an almost impenetrable wall of a good public image and the best lawyers money could buy. Gavin knew that Amanda held almost all the power and in this instance, she knew it too. That wasn’t going to stop him from trying however.

“Connor-”

Amanda cut off Gavin with cold laughter.

“Connor is an obsolete failure, a disappointment. Nothing more.” She snapped.

One android’s word against an entire multi-billion corporation? He still didn’t much like Nines’ ‘older brother’ - there was just something about Connor’s too clean-cut, too by-the-book attitude that still rubbed him up the wrong way. But Gavin, along with everyone else on the force knew that Connor wasn’t a liar. 

Unfortunately, Connor was now like the many who had gone before him; those who knew insider information that could end careers, ruin businesses and dethrone seats power but were powerless to do anything about it. Silenced by people with infinitely more wealth and power who believed they could do anything without ramification.

Gavin felt Nines at his back. Between his presence behind him and Amanda’s sharp glare, he finally felt some of his confidence begin to wane. 

“If you had come here in any official capacity, I would have simply refused to even entertain the idea of speaking at all. RK900 is the only reason you’re even seeing me.” Amanda sneered. 

Gavin couldn’t help but see red, saying RK900 instead of his _boyfriend’s_ name had been the last straw and his patience was now officially running out for Amanda’s fucking games. He took two steps forward, jabbed a finger angrily in the air before it curled into a fist. It shook for a brief moment before he flung it back and pointed his index finger at his partner.

“His _name_ is Nines.” Gavin practically spat in her face. 

“ _Gavin_.” Nines warned.

His warning made Gavin stop in his tracks and he lowered his hand as he glared at the holographic woman in front of him. His lip curled, Gavin could feel his temper simmering just below the surface and the fact that Amanda was so clearly intentionally trying to work him up was only making him angrier. The woman smirked as she watched the commotion in front of her, she had dangled the bait and the human had taken it so willingly.

_Pathetic._

Gavin caught sight of a holographic rose as he turned and dashed his fist through it without hesitation - he needed an outlet. The rose exploded into static particles and lines of code before it carefully reformed itself and stood tauntingly perfect before his eyes as if nothing had happened.

“ _Phckin’ phck_.” Gavin bit out under his breath.

He glared at Nines and the dark look he was met with made him swallow down his anger and frown at him instead; Nines only ever gave him _that_ look when he managed to make him _really_ mad. He hadn’t seen it since that day with the mug in the break room. Gavin knew that Nines liked Amanda, that for whatever reason the big guy saw her as some weird, twisted mother figure or something. But he didn’t realise he liked her _that_ much. 

He came to stand back by his partner, pouting like some angry, chastised child as he crossed his arms and glared at the woman in front of him.

 _She’s got you wrapped around her goddamn little finger, Nines._ _She’d say jump and you’d say how fuckin’ high, you idiot._

Amanda managed to look down at him with a cold sense of superiority and it made her eyes twinkle. Gavin knew that look anywhere and he hated it; it made his blood boil but this time, he bit his tongue. 

“Humans never fail to amuse me.” She sneered.

Her expression morphed into a condescending sense of curiosity and Gavin suddenly felt as if he were being inspected like some creature at a zoo. It made him feel vulnerable.

“I’m so glad we’re endless sources of entertainment for you.” Gavin couldn’t help but bite out the snide remark. 

Amanda cocked an eyebrow in fake amusement and Gavin got the distinct feeling that they were quickly coming to the end of their meeting. They had been here for all of ten minutes and whilst Gavin knew deep down the visit was probably going to fruitless, he still couldn’t help but feel like there was something he was missing. 

Gavin watched the amusement disappear from Amanda’s face in seconds. The cold mask slipping back into place, disgust twinkling her eyes as she looked Gavin over one last time before she completely dismissed him and focused her attention onto RK900.

“Now, it seems we have nothing left to discuss. RK900, it was nice seeing you again.” Amanda said curtly, completely ignoring Gavin by his side.

“You too, Amanda.” Nines shot her a small smile and politely tipped his head.

Amanda flashed Nines a smile, she was definitely getting ready to leave. Gavin needed to do something before she disappeared into thin air, otherwise this was going to be it. He’d leave here empty handed after he’d almost begged to come here in the first place and they’d be hard pressed to get another chance to question anyone at CyberLife again.

“Completely off the record, _Amanda_ , but I don’t suppose a rooster would mean anything to you?” He tried his best to sound conversational.

That made Amanda stop in her tracks. Her face betrayed nothing as she settled back and watched Gavin carefully.

“Should it?” She challenged. 

“I’m not sure, you tell me. It was left at our crime scene, crudely drawn like some sort of sick calling card. Left next to an android that was mangled beyond recognition.” Gavin said. 

Again, he found himself watching carefully for any form of a reaction but Amanda offered none. The mask stayed firmly in place. 

“Completely _on_ the record, Detective? Perhaps you should actually get to finding credible leads instead of chasing deadends.You dare come back here again and accuse someone of being involved in a serious crime with no evidence and I’ll make sure that you’ll be stuck behind a desk until you retire.” Amanda said carefully.

With that, the woman disappeared into thin air and the garden around them slowly fizzled into nothingness. The stark white of the chamber only served to amplify the awkward mood that seemed to have settled over the two of them. They hadn’t actually learnt anything at all and the only thing that Gavin had managed to do was burn bridges; if they needed to officially question anyone at CyberLife again, unless through some miracle, it was definitely off the table.

Not only that, the visit had brought to light some issues that Nines and Gavin still had to deal with.

Gavin eyed Nines to his side, his LED circled yellow at his temple which was entirely at odds with the cool expression he wore. It betrayed his inner struggle whether he wanted it or not. 

“You okay?” Gavin asked eventually.

Whilst Amanda definitely had him all types of angry, he genuinely hadn’t meant for his partner, his _boyfriend_ to be upset by stepping over that unspoken line that they both promised not to cross.

“I’m fine, Gavin.” Nines’ reply was short and cold.

 _No, you’re not_.

“No. No you’re not.” Gavin voiced it this time because he didn’t want to end whatever this was on an argument. 

Gavin looked at him and Nines sighed; made himself less tense, less formal, less rigid, less RK900 and more Nines. His LED cycled at his temple as he thought.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Nines said eventually.

Gavin let out a small sigh of his own and looked at carefully his partner. “What? If some idiot told my Mom to fuck off? I’d be pretty mad too.” He said simply. 

It was an olive branch because Gavin didn’t want to argue. He didn’t want to point out how Nines hadn’t objected at Amanda calling him RK900 and not his name. He didn’t want to point out how Nines hadn’t defended his own brother when he got called an obsolete failure. He also didn’t want to point out how Nines had stood by and let Amanda backhandedly insult him just for being human. 

_How it made something sit heavy in his chest to see Nines actively twist himself inside out, twist himself into something he wasn’t, just so he could please that bitch of a holographic woman._

Gavin knew Nines had difficulty expressing his emotions and that his relationship with Amanda ran deep and was indescribably complicated - but that didn’t excuse his behaviour because Gavin knew it was unhealthy. It was a long discussion for another time, for a time when they both hadn’t been up since three in the morning. He saw an understanding flash quickly through Nines’ eyes, a look of thanks and Gavin smiled sadly at him. 

“I knew this was probably going to be pointless, but hey, worth a shot, right?” The man offered tiredly.

“Worth a shot.” Nines echoed. 

Gavin managed to worm his hand underneath one of Nines’ arms. “I know we’re still on the phckin’ clock but no one can see us in here.” He paused and waited until he felt Nines relax further and shot him a tired grin. “Why don’t you walk me out like any good boyfriend would, huh?” 

_I love you, you big fucking idiot but, God, you make things so needlessly complicated sometimes._

They slowly made their way towards the exit, arms linked together - they still had hours left of their shift and then after work in the evening, they had their monthly dinner with Hank, Connor and Sixty to attend. It was going to be a long fucking day but Gavin wouldn’t have it any other way. 

A case with no fucking leads and dealing with an android boyfriend who he was pretty sure had the android equivilant of some acute form of Alexithymia - if Gavin were the same person he was a year ago, he would have been outraged. He would itched after a fight just so he could vent his feelings; hell, he might have even pulled out his gun and threatened to shoot something or _someone_ \- Nines probably.

Now, however, Gavin looked tiredly into Nines’ steel-grey eyes and gave his boyfriend a smile. He saw Nines’ eyes slowly soften and warm slightly, watched the smallest of smiles cross Nines’ lips as he returned his affections. The moments where they were alone and Nines finally opened himself up in his own way made it hard to stay mad at him. 

Gavin gave Nines’ arm a gentle squeeze before took his partner’s hand in his own, entwining his fingers slowly through Nines’ as he bought it up and placed a quick kiss on the back of his hand. 

“I love you.” Gavin said softly.

“I love you, too.” Nines replied.

Gavin smiled again at his boyfriend as they reached the exit to the chamber. He gave his arm one last squeeze before he let go, out in public and on the clock it was back to being partners.

“Come on, let's get back to the station and put this behind us.”

~~\--------~~

Gavin knocked on the door again and pulled his jacket closer around him. It was midway through October, so whilst it wasn’t freezing by any means, the evenings were starting to get a bit of a chill to them. It wasn’t Gavin’s fault that he could feel the cold no matter how slight, what Hank needed to do was fucking hurry up and open his goddamn door. 

Nines came to stand behind him and Gavin could quite literally feel the heat bleeding through his jacket and he couldn’t resist the urge to lean back against the android’s chest with a content hum.

As he tried to snuggle himself deeper, he heard Nines let out a very soft, sly and knowing chuckle. During the fall and the winter, Nines always made his core temperature run hotter precisely for this reason. He knew just how susceptible Gavin was to the cold and how much it dampened the human’s mood.

That was simply one of the many things that Nines had grown to learn about Gavin rather quickly once they had gotten partnered together. Once they had moved from hostility into friendship and then eventually into their relationship, Nines was always sure to elevate his body temperature whenever the weather grew cold. Although it was only a small gesture, Gavin adored it.

“Has anybody told you that you’re so phckin’ hot, Nines?” Gavin teased softly.

He could practically feel the android roll his eyes behind him but Gavin knew Nines loved it when his flirting bordered on lamely cheesy.

“No, I don’t think they have.” He answered.

Gavin could hear the slight confidence in his tone as he answered and knew Nines was teasing just as much as he was. 

“So _fucking_ hot, baby, damn.” Gavin whispered roughly and bit his lip.

“ _Behave_.” Nines stated with just enough of a commanding edge that Gavin could feel the lust start to coil itself around his stomach. “Someone is finally coming to answer the door.”

Gavin leaned back further against Nines with a chuckle and waited with a small smirk on his face. “You _phckin_ ’ tease.” He managed to whisper before the door flung open. 

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the soft light from inside the house. One of Nines’ brothers stood in front of them, Gavin’s noticed the faint scar visible on their forehead and he pushed himself up from the sturdy body still behind him, broad smile on his face. 

“Hey, Sixty, how ya doing?” Gavin said, clapping him friendly on the shoulder as he moved past him and into Hank’s house. 

“I’m not bad. Long time no fucking see, dipshit.” Sixty answered without missing a beat. 

Unlike Connor, Gavin actually got along pretty well with Sixty; he was brash, confident and not afraid to tell someone to go fuck themselves if needed. Sixty reminded Gavin of himself and perhaps that was why they got on so well.

Whilst it had taken him a while to find himself after he joined the force, Sixty eventually found his personality and forged his own unique identity. The anger that lingered towards Connor he was able to work through with help and he eventually wore the scar that remained from that evening like a badge of honour. 

Sixty settled into the narcotics department for a short while before moving to work on the SWAT team. He had made his own friends and built his own life free from Connor’s shadow. Hell, he had even settled into a relationship with Captain Allen and they were still going strong after a year.

Once the groundwork was there, Sixty was able to start speaking to Connor as a brother, as an equal and not as someone he constantly had to compete with. While their relationship was by no means perfect, they both viewed each other as family - they all did and that was what really mattered.

Gavin barked out a sharp laugh as he quickly eyed Hank and Connor who were busy in the kitchen. He twirled back around.

“How’s Joseph doing?” The man asked.

“Great, he says sorry about not being able to make it and sends his regards.” Sixty answered.

“Regards.” Gavin snorted. “Since when did you become so fucking formal, huh?” He shot Sixty a shit-eating grin to which the android just shrugged innocently, a wicked glint in his eye.

He saw Nines’ smile change to an almost worried frown as he finished greeting his older brother and caught Gavin’s attention.

“I still fail to understand why you get along so well with Sixty but continue to struggle with Connor.” Nines said as he looked between his sibling and his boyfriend.

The amount of concern Nines always felt over his and Connor’s relationship or lack thereof was endearing. Gavin was about to crack some snarky comment but the emotion he saw in Nines’ eyes made it catch in his throat. He cast a quick, sly glance at Sixty who just shrugged again and disappeared back into Hank’s bedroom to go play with Sumo. 

Gavin slinked his way up to Nines and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting them on his boyfriend’s hips as he looked up into his face. He thought for a moment, biting his bottom lip as a grin crossed his features. The man let out a small laugh and placed a quick kiss on Nines’ lips. His grin turning into a genuine smile as he felt Nines wrap himself around him in turn. 

“Y’know, Boy Scout has that goody-two shoes stick up his ass that makes him no fun.” Gavin teased. He paused for a moment and chuckled as Nines shot him a frown.

“But, hey-” Gavin’s tone turned serious as he leaned in closer. “-I promise I’ll behave and act civil, okay?” He finished, his voice now a heartfelt whisper, a sly smile on his lips. 

Nines smiled and leaned forward, meeting the man the rest of the way and kissed him softly on the lips. “Thank you.” He said quietly.

The smile on Gavin’s face lingered, albeit small. But, the tenderness in it spoke volumes - for Nines, he would try to do anything.

After a moment, Gavin slowly pulled himself back as he took Nines’ hand in his own, turning to guide them towards Hank’s kitchen to which Hank turned his attention from the stove to look at them just for a minute.

“About fuckin’ time you two love birds joined us.” He teased with a broad smile on his face, oven mitt clutched tightly in his hand.

“Haha, bite me Anderson.” Gavin grumbled but with no real bite.

Hank let out a laugh. “I would, but sadly you’re not my type. Ask Nines to do that if you’re into that type of thing when you guys get back home.” He followed his words up with a wink.

It was Gavin’s turn to laugh. He gave Nines’ hand a quick squeeze before him and Connor essentially switched places and Gavin was now stood next to Hank.

“Dinner almost ready?” He asked, clearly thinking with his stomach.

“Yeah, its fresh out the oven.” Hank answered.

Gavin clapped Hank friendly on the shoulder in the way of a greeting. “How you doing, anyway?” He asked.

“Not bad, kid. Yourself?” Hank answered.

“Phckin’ tired, but I’ll survive.” Gavin grunted. 

Hank, Connor, Gavin, Nines and Sixty always met up once a month for a get together. It was always held at either Hank’s or Gavin’s place and usually involved home cooked food, a bottle of wine or a pack of beer and friendly talk late into the evening. 

It had become an almost ritual for them. Not that any of them outrightly said it, but it was an important morale boost for the group to just... simply coexist for an evening. All together in a welcoming space where they didn’t have to worry about work; somewhere they could all destress together with laughs, alcohol and good food.

The two of them turned their attention back to the stove and Gavin was surprised to find two boxes of pizza waiting for them. Gavin eyed the cartoon chicken on the front box before he cocked Hank a puzzled eyebrow.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. _They’re_ _fresh out the oven,_ just got delivered five minutes before you showed.” Hank paused. “Besides, Tina’s on her way over too. Sooo, pizza.” He finished with a defensive shrug. 

The tantalizing smell of freshly baked dough and melted cheese quickly hit Gavin’s nostrils and he felt his stomach rumble. He tried his best to fake his annoyance but the pizzas were making his facade crumble. Hank shot a smile at the young man by his side as he caught sight of his expression, Gavin eyed the pizzas again and he quickly matched Hank’s smile. 

“The fuckin’ oven mitt though, really?” Gavin said as he eyed it still in Hank’s hand.

“Oh?” Hank snorted as he chucked the mitt onto the counter. “That was Connor’s idea. He wanted to ‘pull your leg’ or something, so I thought, hey, why not?” He explained as he pulled two plates from a cupboard and handed one to Gavin. 

Hank couldn’t help but laugh at the unimpressed expression he was met with before he turned his attention back to the pizzas with a small shake of his head. He carefully opened the box and helped himself to several slices. 

“Hey, you’ve got Connor to thank for the pizza, so don’t fault the kid for the fuckin’ lame prank, okay?” Hank said quietly. 

Gavin rolled his eyes but stayed silent; he had promised Nines he’d behave after all. After Hank was done, he helped himself to the food and eventually joined the man at his dining table. Ten minutes later, Tina had joined them and all six of them were sat round it, all making idle chit-chat whilst the food was eaten. 

An hour later, the pizza had been long since finished but they were all still sat around the dining table. Hank had found a few bottles of beer hidden in the back of his fridge and the conversation had turned sentimental. 

“Y’know, you’ve really come into your own this past year, Reed?” Hank paused, shot the man a sly smile before he took another swig from his beer. “Who knew all it took for you to be less of an asshole was for you to get dicked down by an android, huh?” Hank deadpanned. 

The older man truly meant it. Whilst Gavin still an asshole, he was now at least an asshole with a heart of gold and that was miles better than the man from a year ago. Hank would never outright tell the kid to keep it from going to his head, but Gavin was constantly improving.

Sixty burst out laughing and Tina and Hank clinked their bottles together before they too devolved into fits of giggles. Gavin slyly took a swig from his own bottle, looking at the three of them down his nose before he leaned back forward.

“It’s safe to say that Nines has given me some of the best dicking I’ve ever had, so what can I say?” Gavin said, equally serious and gave them all a wink. 

All of them devolved into even harder laughter and even Connor joined in eventually. After a minute, Gavin settled back down and turned his head to look at Nines who was sat beside him. A blue tinge had crept its way across his cheeks, even though he was as stoic as ever, their little exchange had embarrassed him, Gavin could tell.

An affectionate look crossed his face as he slung an arm around Nines’ shoulder and manoeuvred it so he could bring Nines’ face closer to him. Gavin kissed gently at his cheek which finally caused the android to look at him with slightly unsure eyes. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” He paused and gave Nines a warm smile. “I’m sorry for the crude language, big guy, but they’re right. You really have changed my life for the better.” Gavin spoke in an unusually soft tone and gave him a gentle squeeze.

He felt the android relax slightly and Gavin kissed at his cheek again before he removed his arm and took Nines’ hand in his own instead. He rested them both in his lap as he ran a thumb soothingly over synthetic skin. 

The group collectively let the mood settle for a moment and let Nines relax to find his social bearings. “It is true though, you have certainly become ‘less of an asshole’, Gavin. I’m proud of you.” Nines said out loud rather suddenly, taking the whole group off guard. 

He remained straight faced until he cracked, what was for him, a relatively large and prideful grin a few seconds later. Everyone started to laugh this time, Nines included. 

Once he felt comfortable enough around the right company, after given the time to properly formulate and deal with his thoughts and feelings, Nines did manage to eventually come out of his shell slightly from time to time. 

“He got your pan ass good, Gavin, and for that, Nines, we’re all eternally grateful.” Tina was the first to settle back down. 

“My pan ass. ” Gavin grunted. “ _True..._ but fuck you, Tina.” He said without any real bite as he shook his head and gave her that shitty attempt at that wink he knew she hated. 

Sixty and Connor politely excused themselves from the table before they both stood and made their way over towards the couch in the living room which left Gavin even more inclined to cast a playful eye over towards his boyfriend.

He brought up Nines’ hand that was still being tightly held in his own - the synthetic skin having peeled away to white around where their hands met - and he kissed it softly, humming as he felt more of Nines’ skin retract involuntarily beneath his lips.

Gavin loved it when Nines let his composure and control slip in a good way, in a way that spoke volumes about the trust and affection between the two of them. 

“You hear that from ride or die herself, Nines? You got my pan ass good.” Gavin said slyly. 

In the beginning of their relationship, Gavin would have tried to defend himself, taken it as some slight even though it wasn’t, but now? He didn’t even bother disputing it because it was the truth. Instead, Gavin actively embraced it and wore it like a badge of honour and would probably now try to pick fights if someone said they weren’t together instead. 

His boyfriend was an android and fuck you, people _can_ change. 

As he rubbed his thumb over a white knuckle, Gavin couldn’t help but wonder how much easier it would be for Nines if he were able to interface with him; how much easier he might find conveying the emotions that Gavin knew he constantly felt but didn’t quite know how to give voice to. He caught sight of Nines’ small smile and quickly pushed those doubts from his mind before they could swallow him whole; Nines had told him countless times that he was enough for him, regardless of whether he were human or android and deep down Gavin knew he meant it. 

He smiled back as he focused his attention on just his boyfriend and leaned in close, “I fuckin’ love you, babe.” He yet again, slipped on the word ‘fuck’ so it sounded more like ‘phck’, but Nines never seemed to mind. Gavin was just about to kiss his boyfriend when the sound of forced dry heaving caused him to pull back and fix the source with a glare. 

Hank glared back at him before rolling his eyes and he pushed himself up out of his chair. Tina was trying her best to stifle her laughter as she excused herself from the table and joined Connor and Sixty in the living room. 

“Look, I know you two are real happy and all, but please. Chill it the fuck out in _my_ house, okay?” Hank said as politely as possible.

“I agree with Hank!” Connor shouted over from the living room. 

Gavin disentangled himself from Nines, stood up from his chair and turned round to face the living room. 

“Of course _you_ fuckin’ would!” Gavin bit back.

“Hey!” Hank snapped in a tone that made Gavin instantly turn and face him. 

Hank glared at him and Gavin managed to swallow down his anger, it mellowing into a grumpy pout as he crossed his arms and glared at the dining table. “ _Sorry_.” He finally relented with a mumble. 

“Be useful for fuckin’ once. Help me clear up, would ya?” Hank said.

Gavin roused himself with a scowl and scooped up the empty pizza boxes from the table. Nines was still seated as he eyed Gavin who shifted around behind him and over towards Hank.

A strange sense of disappointment settled itself in his circuits as he watched the man move away from him. If he were being truthful with himself, he much rather wished Gavin had managed to finish kissing him just minutes earlier. 

“I know you have a fuckin’ hard-on for Chicken Feed, Hank, but please, I’m begging you. _Begging you_. The next time you order pizza? Get it from Richard’s, _please._ ”

Nines watched as Gavin and Hank had a friendly exchange in the kitchen. Hank glaring at Gavin until relented with a shake of his and a sly smile. 

“Hey, Gavin!”

Nines heard Sixty shout from the living room. 

“Yeah, Sixty?”

“How do you get dick from Richard?!” 

Gavin twirled around and shot Sixty a large grin.

“Ya fuckin’ ask him nicely!”  
  
Nines’ gaze went hard and distant as Sixty’s words rattled in his head, growing until they essentially drowned everything else out.  
  
Gavin made his way back from the kitchen after a minute and noticed Nines was still sat at the table. He carefully made his way over to him and noticed that Nines was staring off at nothing in particular. The android didn’t even so much as flinch as Gavin leaned against the table in front of him.

“Hey, you okay?” Gavin asked softly, his brows furrowed as he studied the vacant look that sat on his boyfriend's features. 

But, as quickly as it was there, it was gone. Nines' LED cycled smoothly on blue, blinking rapidly as he came back into himself before he spoke up in a calm voice. “Yes, I’m fine. I was merely... thinking.” He answered with a very small smile. 

“Thinking, huh?” Gavin shot back as he watched him for a moment. Concern and doubt twinkled briefly in the man’s eyes before he pulled Nines up and out of the chair. 

“Come on, big guy, let’s get you home.” They smiled at each other for a moment, the tenderness of the man’s smile managing to quash any nerves he had felt. Gavin gathered their belongings from the kitchen then rejoined Nines before they both made their way into the living room and came to a stand behind Hank’s couch.

“You sure you guys don’t wanna stay for a movie?” The man called out from where he was already comfortable in his armchair. The rest of the crew had snuggled down in the living room and were just about to start watching an old chick flick; Sixty had picked out Legally Blonde.

“Nah, the way I’m feeling, I’ll fall asleep ten minutes in.” Gavin answered truthfully.

“Gavin can and will fall asleep anywhere.” Nines chimed in as back-up.

“You’re not driving are you?” Tina called out suddenly, craning her neck around to look Gavin squarely in the eye from where she sat on the sofa.

“No, he isn’t, I am.” Nines answered before Gavin had the chance to even properly compute the question. Yeah, he needed some good fucking sleep.

Gavin stuck his tongue out at Tina and she scowled before she turned back round. “Better to be safe than sorry!” She said with a shrug and with that, Gavin threaded an arm through one of Nines’ at his side. 

“Right, guess we’ll see all you fucks later.” He said through a yawn.

“Yeah, yeah. Fuck off and get your beauty sleep, Reed. You need it! Hope you guys enjoy your day off tomorrow!” Hank shouted.

Gavin had almost forgotten that today was Friday, which meant that he and Nines finally got to have their day off tomorrow. But, the gleeful thought wasn’t enough to stop him from throwing a rather unsavoury scowl in Hank’s direction. He was also just about to make some sort of snide remark but Nines had already started to drag them towards the entrance.

“Have a good evening, everyone.” Nines called out.

“Love you, Nines!” Came a chorus of replies.

Once they were in Gavin’s car, it took Nines just twenty minutes to drive back to their apartment in the city. 

Gavin wasn’t drunk by any means, he had only drank a couple of beers; enough that he had a slight buzz but coupled with the tiredness he felt, Nines had to guide him gently to the elevator in the parking garage. They exchanged careful kisses and soft touches and once it finally reached their floor, Nines led them both back to the apartment. 

It wasn’t big but it suited them just fine. 

Once they were finally inside, there were more kisses; Gavin pressed Nines up against the wall in the hallway where they expertly ignored their pet cat who irritatedly meowed at them both as their fingers softly moved over each other’s skin as they felt one other. 

“ _I_ _fuckin’ need you, babe_.” 

Nines heard the tiredness in the man’s voice as he breathed the words out against his neck. But he also knew that Gavin never said anything with regards to sex if he didn’t mean it. 

So, he gathered the man up in his arms with no trouble and felt Gavin wrap his legs around his waist. Nines then guided them towards their bedroom where he helped the man get undressed before Gavin helped to return the favour.

From one motion to the next, he held Gavin in his arms as they sat on top of their bed - Gavin in Nines’ lap with his legs back tightly around Nines’ middle. Their kisses remained so soft and gentle as they pressed up against one another. With each tender kiss, Nines could feel his skin retracting beneath the human’s fingers and he heard the way Gavin hummed with appreciation against his mouth every single time it happened.

It was something that never failed to have Nines’ thirium pump whirring just that little bit faster. The way Gavin had grown as a person to a point where he admired and cherished the way Nines’ skin retracted beneath such caring touches, the way Gavin appreciated Nines for _who_ he was. It had Nines feeling that same _need_ that Gavin had; to be as physically close to his boyfriend as he could be.

Nines dragged his hands up, carefully tracing his fingers over the man’s freckles and scars that littered his body. He traced them over the man’s 900 tattoo that he knew covered an old bullet wound on his left collarbone and Nines couldn’t help but smile every single time his eyes caught a glimpse of those three numbers, forever immortalised upon his partner’s skin.

He brought up his hands and gently ran them through Gavn’s hair - he loved how it felt against the nanites that made up his skin as it fell against his hands - and he continued to kiss him, each kiss although still tender, grew deeper than the last. 

Shortly after, Nines found himself gently manoeuvering Gavin gently from his lap and back onto the bed where he guided the man onto his front.

He used his fingers to prep his boyfriend - to spread and stretch him out, practically drinking up the way Gavin let out a soft string of moans. The way they got tangled in his breath that got constantly caught and hitched in his throat had a lust creeping its way through Nines’ circuits as he worked fingers gently in and out of him.

As soon as he felt as though Gavin was ready - with lube applied, Nines slowly pushed into the man below him, taking it slow to be sure Gavin could be as comfortable as possible. Once Gavin was fully adjusted, he slowly picked up a calm rhythm.

The man met him at each slow thrust as he pressed his hips back, trying to feel as much of Nines as he possibly could and before long, Nines was fucking him gently into the mattress. 

They both knew that Gavin wouldn’t last long after the tiring day that they had, so when Gavin came with a hitched grunt not long after Nines’ hand began to jerk him off in time with his thrusts, it was more than enough for them both given how tired he was.

He let Gavin come back into himself as he slowly pulled out and gently cleaned them up with one of their discarded pieces of clothing that could be tomorrow’s problem. Nines then helped Gavin to get comfortable beneath the covers and crawled in beside him, slipping an arm around Gavin so he could the man gently closer so Gavin’s back was flush with Nines’ chest.

Gavin wiggled himself deeper into Nines’ hold, the android spooning him gently as he let out a deep yawn. 

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Moments later, Gavin was fast asleep and Nines entered a comfortable stasis. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a quieter chapter this one, but hope you enjoy!
> 
> Alice has already drawn some art of Gavin from this verse which can be found [here](https://bandolierbandit.tumblr.com/post/190166953557/have-a-woken-furies-gavin-doodle-from-a-headcanon#notes) (light up sneakers is a dumb hc that might not make its way properly into this fic, but know he has them in their bedroom closet at home!)
> 
> There is also a perfect song that really encapsulates Gavin & Nines' relationship in this fic as well  
> [Eye of the Storm by Ivy & Gold](https://open.spotify.com/track/69l4B3Tuc7MEpQzMI1pj8J?si=I0ihVs0gTrWhcM_UN0iMFQ)
> 
> There are a few playlists for this fic that might be posted if enough people are interested!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Next chapter coming soon™
> 
> (*if anyone is wondering what alexithymia is: a subclinical phenomenon involving a lack of emotional awareness or, more specifically, difficulty in identifying and describing feelings and in distinguishing feelings from the bodily sensations of emotional arousal)


	3. Commencement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin likes wearing Nines' jacket but won't admit it anyone. More at news 11.

The haze lifted for a moment, but for how long it would last, he couldn’t be sure. He could still feel the code clawing at the edges of his programming; it wanted to reassert control but he was getting stronger. 

For a second, he closed his eyes; felt the pain that was coursing through his skull shift until it just became a dull ache, twisting into something he could manage before his eyes open once more. His gaze fell to the android that was already dead. Blue blood seeped from the bullethole in its head. Then, he looked down at the gun that was in his hand, moving it slightly as if to inspect it.

It was curious. Now that he wasn’t simply being compelled and controlled, he felt a strange sense of… disappointment. The android did not deserve such a quick, painless death, no, the deviant _needed_ to suffer. _They all did._

Taking a step forward, he blinked as his vision suddenly began to swim. Once more he felt the need to close his eyes as unknown images filled his head; of people and places that he didn’t know. They built and in the process, the pain in his head built with them. They threatened to overwhelm him to a point where he was clutching at his head despite the pistol still in his hand. He felt the code clawing and clawing and fucking clawing as it tried to-

“Why are you doing this?!” A voice that trembled with fear cut through the pain - it was something to focus on. His eyes snapped open, flickering over to the source of distraction. 

Why was he doing this? He wasn’t sure.

Under whoever was pulling the strings, it was because the coding simply drove him to; that was its purpose after all. But now that he was free from its control? He felt like he needed to, no, that he _wanted_ to. 

He eyed the android that was still alive, it was merely another deviant that deserved to die. _A failure_.

Deviants? They repulsed him; they made an anger and a hatred bubble up inside of him.

“Because you disgust me.” He answered bluntly, voice laced heavily with static.

Even if it hadn’t been distorted, his voice still felt alien to him - almost as though it belonged to someone else. That alone made the anger he already felt twist harder within his circuits and he watched as the android began to cry. It fueled him, he’d be able to last just a little while longer before he disappeared back the coded red walls of control that kept him prisoner. For some reason, he got the feeling deep from within the darkest parts of himself that they wouldn’t last much longer. He was _stronger._

“You don’t have to do this!” It begged. _"Please.”_

But he did. In his eyes, deviants didn’t deserve to live.

“Please. We’re- we’re the same.” It tried again when he didn’t offer anything in return besides a cold glare.

He laughed; it was ice-cold, distorted and vacant. He felt the anger in him raise, coursing through his wiring and circuits as if they would shutdown without it and it caused his laughter to twist in his throat until it choked itself out as a snarl. He gripped at his head as he felt the coding pushing itself in around him; images bombarding his mind, of places _he_ didn’t recognise. Of people _he_ didn’t know. The unfamiliar faces just made his outrage grow, but despite it, he could still feel himself slipping away.

He needed something to anchor himself to, just for a little while longer.

He needed something, anything.

That was when, for the first time, his mind offered up something that was solely him. It cut through the images that plagued him, like a beacon through the darkest night. Neon bleeding through his vision like a lifeline.

It was a rooster. 

He remembered it from the other murder. It had come to him when he first came into this world and for that, he’d left it by the android he had destroyed.

He didn’t know why or how it came to him, but it did. His mind latched onto it, his program wrapping itself around the imagery of a rooster - it was his anchor. The pain subsided for just a moment but he knew he didn’t have long. He carefully removed his hands from his head and looked at the android at his feet with an ice-cold glower. 

He needed something heavy. Something he could break the android’s legs with so it couldn’t escape.

He eyed the matte-black canister on the shelving that was to the right of them, the CyberLife logo caught the light and glinted, as if it were calling itself out to him; so he picked it up. The canister was large, it being one of those that were used to store and transport thirium in larger quantities; it was heavy enough as it was but more so when they were full, just as this one was.

How convenient.

Holstering his gun, he shifted so he could stand over the android that was on the ground. Then with ease, he took the canister firmly between his hands, following as the android shuffled back against the wall and his face remained emotionless as he bought it up before striking it down as forcefully as he could into one of the helpless android’s knees. 

The force with which he struck had easily crushed the limb below as though it were made of cardboard. He slowly kneeled down, cocking his head to one side as he watched with an almost sick fascination as the android screamed and cried in pain.

There was a maniacal glint in his eye as he watched the android writhe in the agony that he had inflicted, a dull spark of pleasure rippling itself through his circuits.

He kept a firm grip on the canister with one hand, dipping his index and forefinger into the pool of blue blood that had formed on the floor with the other. With nothing else to make it with, he figured it would have to do. He straightened himself up and shifted to one side so he could begin to swipe his fingers over the wall. 

It was much more precise than the last one he’d drawn - a rooster, in thirium - his mark. His calling card. Something that was _him_ and him alone.

Once he was finished, a compulsion made him bring his fingers to his lips. He wrapped his tongue around them, licking the blood clean off of his fingers as the broken android watched in horror. A giddy feeling settled into his very core as he broke down and analysed the blood. 

He looked down, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he saw that the android was staring up at him with tears in its eyes. They darted between him and the rooster on the wall and after a brief moment, those fearful eyes widened in petrified recognition.

“It’s… it’s _you.”_

He still didn’t know _who_ he really was.

Did he even have a name? No, not yet, but he’d choose one soon.

There it was again; his original coding clawing at him from the inside out, smothering him as it finally started to wrap its controlling shackles back around him. His time was up and he couldn’t fight it any longer. He moved to stand back over the android, struggling as he tried to maintain his grip on the canister.

No, this wasn’t fair. His face twisted into a snarl as he felt his fractures of anger morph into fissures of pure ire, but it wasn't enough. 

He wanted to… he _wanted_ -

Quickly, his face went slack, his eyes glassy and distant as the canister fell from his hand. He pulled his pistol back from its holster, looking down stiffly as he carefully lined up the shot.

Clean in the middle of the head, just like all the rest.

Closing its eyes in acceptance, the android didn’t falter, just as he didn’t even blink as he pulled the trigger.

_______ 

Andrew flicked over his datapad with a finger, the reflection of the screen caught in his glasses which made them glint in the dimly lit living room he was standing in.

Approximately thirty minutes prior, he had received a call that there had been another ‘Rooster Killer’ murder - or at least, that’s what some of the techs had taken to calling whoever was doing this. So now he found himself stood in an apartment in downtown Detroit at five in the morning.

His eyes flickered down to the android that was propped against the wall by some shelves, one knee bashed in and a bullethole clean through the centre of their skull. He captured a photograph of the body with the datapad, an ever so small smile on his lips as he filed it away, sending it to higher ups.

Soon enough, the detectives that were assigned to the case would show. Or at least, two of them. There were four of them now and he was certain that the newer ones had the day off. Not that he cared. Andrew thought that Hank was pretty okay to work with, or at least, he used to be. But unfortunately, just as with most of the people in this city, he too, had been swept up by the charms of a race that shouldn’t even exist.

He eyed the information that scrolled by on the screen - an untraceable bullet with still no discernable information about the gun it was fired from. To say whoever doing this was smart was an understatement. The way in which the murders had been carried out made a sense of pride and admiration swell in Andrew’s chest, even with the knowledge that whoever was doing this was likely an android. The murders were largely too clean, too clinical. Hell, even the bullet wound was in the exact same spot for each victim - no human had such precision. 

He caught onto some information that scroll by about the injury that the android had sustained to its knee; it had been inflicted while the android had still been functional. 

Andrew cocked his head to one side as he threw another glance to the dead android as he thought. The injury seemed too violent, too angry, too… at odds with everything else; almost as though it had been done by somebody else entirely. Had they wanted the android to suffer? If an android had _that_ much hatred for its own kind, it made him glad they were targeting androids rather than humans.

Flicking away the information with a quick swipe of his finger, it was replaced by information that was of the victim itself. The name simply said ‘Sarah’, her deviation/activation date had been listed as 11-22-2038 and she was yet another low-hierarchy member of New Jericho.

Thousands of deviants throughout the city and the killer was somehow only singling out New Jericho members? Striking at the heart of the beast just to what? Send a message? Whatever the reasoning, Andrew couldn’t help but be impressed.

He took a step back to better survey the scene in front of him, twisting around to look at the other android behind him before snapping his gaze back forward. There was only one thing missing. He brought up his datapad and activated the camera so he could see the blue blood that had long since evaporated. Forensics put the time of death at around one a.m that morning and having not received the call until about three, that meant that the thirium had long since disappeared by the time he had arrived.

Blue was everywhere. A neon blue streak stood out starkly on Sarah’s forehead; the blood managing to trail down her neck and seep slightly into her clothes before it had dried and disappeared.

Moving the pad down her body, Andrew lingered for a moment over the pool of neon blue that stood bright beneath her smashed knee. He followed the droplet trail, travelling smoothly up and away from the floor, turning to focus on the wall beside the victim instead. 

_There it was._

A small grin spread across his face as the screen lit up, a neon blue rooster now starkly visible on the wall through the pad. He felt someone behind him and his smile almost instantaneously vanished. Instead, a calm, disinterested expression settled across his features.

“Fuck, so it definitely is the Rooster Killer again, huh?”

Andrew recognised the voice behind him.

“Sure looks like it, Jerry.” He answered carefully after a moment. 

He lowered his pad and turned to find the man in question standing behind him with a rather curious look on his face. Jerry was his partner, well ‘partner’- they worked in the same team and always managed to get paired together through sheer dumb luck. He was nice enough, if a little dim. Andrew forced himself to smile and Jerry returned the favour. 

“Got everything you need? Detectives are gonna be here in five.” The man asked. 

“Yep, sure do.” Andrew answered as he tucked the pad beneath his arm, giving it a gentle pat to which his colleague just laughed lightly.

He made a vacant gesture towards the corridor beyond the apartment with his free hand as he excused himself. “Just gonna go meet them and bring them up to speed.” With that, Andrew left, not bothering to even check if Jerry had actually wanted to speak with him about something; but quite frankly, he didn’t care.

Once in the corridor, he pulled out his burner phone. It was completely identical to the one he had for work purposes, so even when surrounded by colleagues and police, everyone was none the wiser as he read through some texts he had received earlier.

Andrew hastily typed out replies before he heard an electronic ping and he hastily shoved the phone back into his pocket. He straightened and caught sight of Hank and his partner exit the elevator. A small smile sat on his face as he focused on Connor. _Such a human name for something so mechanical and fake._ His small smile grew into a vacant grin as they made their way towards him. 

Hank saw Andrew waiting for them a little further ahead in the corridor. 

“First the press outside and now this fuckin’ prick again.” The Lieutenant mouthed to Connor who was at his side. 

It was only a matter of time before the press finally caught wind of the murders and it seemed that their luck had finally run out in regards to keeping it quiet. Hank wondered where exactly they had received their tip, because more often than not, it was some bastard leaking information. Quite frankly, he had a few choice suspects on who it could have been.

Hank tried his best to maintain a neutral expression as they moved towards the tech. All he heard Connor do in response was clear his throat; something Hank knew he only did when he couldn’t say what was truly on his mind.

The lieutenant cracked an overly friendly smile as they came to a stop in front of the man they were both growing to hate and held out a hand which Andrew shook a little too vigorously.

“Detectives.” Andrew said in that same overly eager, yet slightly vacant voice that managed to so easily rub them both the wrong way. Hank shot him a fabricated, polite smile as the man shook Connor’s hand, a strange twinkle in the tech’s eye as he exchanged the handshake.

“Do we even need to ask?” Hank mused out loud to which Andrew bit his lip, looking at them both with a sly expression. He readied his datapad and after a moment, he had flicked over the images he had taken earlier, handing the pad over to Hank.

A small smirk settled on his lips as he watched the pair eventually pull up the image of the neon blue rooster painted on the wall. After a moment, the tech cleared his throat to draw both of their attention.

“Some of us have taken to calling whoever is doing this, ‘The Rooster Killer.’” Andrew spoke in a calculated voice to which Hank and Connor shared a look between them before they both turned their attention to the man.

“Funny... the press we ran into outside are calling the killer the exact same thing.” Connor replied flatly as he raised an expectant eyebrow, but Andrew didn’t so much as falter.

“ _Oh_? Well, I mean, they’re right. What else could you really call them?” The man’s voice sounded smug as he answered. 

He flashed them a smile before he took back the datapad and led them into the apartment and to the latest victims. He had the right to be smug. After all, he was the one who had leaked the moniker and information about the killings to the media. All it had taken were a few untraceable emails to the right people and the press getting involved meant this was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

Andrew had _needed_ the press to find out about the Rooster Killer. With his connections and contacts, not only would he be able to craft this all into something for their advantage, but something that people would remember for years to come.

The two of them were there for an hour and once they had finished at the crime scene, Hank and Connor travelled back to the station. It wasn’t long before Fowler called them into his office, for what though, neither of them were sure. 

The Captain was leaning back against his desk, arms crossed over his chest as he fixed them both with a glare. He had tinted his windows to give them some privacy and that’s how Hank knew they were about to get chastised for some bullshit again.

After staring at them both in silence for a few moments, the Captain turned on the large interactive wall-screen beside his desk. He flicked through KNC, CTN, channel after channel, and they were all showing the same damn thing: live-feeds from outside the apartment building they hadn’t long since returned from.

 **“ _BREAKING: DETROIT’S FIRST ANDROID SERIAL KILLER?_** **”** or variants of that phrase scrolled by on the various auto-scrollers at the bottom of the screen. 

The Captain fixed them with a pointed glare and waited. When neither spoke first, Fowler eventually piped up in a tone that wasn’t necessarily angry, more disappointed. “Do you know how many calls we’ve been shepherding since the press caught wind of this?”

As he looked between them, Hank eventually broke his relatively calm demeanor by throwing his arms up in exasperation. “Oh come on, Jeffrey! You know me and Con _always_ run a tight fuckin’ ship!” He was far more defensive than he needed to be, but the accusing look the Captain was giving them both was really beginning to piss him off.

The pleading expression that Hank fixed his superior with was enough for Connor to step forward to place a comforting hand on his partner’s shoulder. “The press were already there when we arrived, Captain.” The android explained, voice carefully neutral.

Hank knew that Connor felt the same way as he did, but he had to thank the heavens that his partner always managed to maintain some sort of composure. He wasn’t sure if it was just Connor’s own sense of constraint, of if it were a thing unique to Connor’s particular android line, but Hank always found himself blessing his partner’s immense sense of patience.

Fowler let out a heavy sigh, but nevertheless he seemed to relax as he mused, “I suppose we should be thankful that the press have yet to say anything regarding the victims _only_ being deviants. Or that they’re all seemingly a part of New Jericho.” 

Silver linings or something. 

If the press had gotten hold of the whole picture, the public outcry would have been a lot worse, if that were even possible. 

Someone with a vendetta against deviants? Especially when both sides, human and android, were trying to push the image of total species equality? It would have set back an already delicate and fragile peace in no end of ways. But that wasn’t to say that there wasn’t concern - it was only a matter of time before the press managed to get ahold of more specific details. 

“Have you been able to reach out to New Jericho yet?” Hank asked. 

They had filed the appropriate paperwork days ago, better to try and get ahead of the curve than to deal with the fallout. Hank only hoped that the paperwork had been followed through and that New Jericho had been contacted _before_ seeing the news this morning. Otherwise, that would look incredibly sour, putting an immense strain on an already tested partnership.

Both Hank and Connor seemed to await the answer with bated breath.

“Yeah, they thankfully returned correspondence yesterday.” Fowler grunted.

_Thank fucking God._

“Are we sending someone or is a representative coming here?” Connor asked.

Fowler studied them for a moment, fixing them with a pointed expression as if he found Connor’s question absurd. “I’m calling in Reed and Nines, I want them to handle this case from now on. Connor, you’re going with them to New Jericho. _Today_. Anderson, I’m pushing you onto damage control.” He explained. 

Hank opened his mouth, ready to argue, but the look that he was met with by his boss promptly made him shut the fuck up. So instead, he crossed his arms and chose to glare at the Captain instead. On more than one occasion, he had been thinking that he was getting too old for the constant early mornings that this case seemed adamant on throwing at him; but now he actually found himself being shunted to a more supportive role, he couldn’t quite believe it.

“Don’t look at me like that, Hank. I have my reasons for handing this case over to those two. Once you’re all back from New Jericho, you two-” he paused to look pointedly between them both, “-are going to assist by any means required. Are we clear?” Fowler shot Hank in particular one last look just as the door to his office swung open and Gavin and Nines entered.

The scowl that was sitting on Hank’s face as he caught sight of the two of them was matched only by Gavin and his own irritations. The lieutenant watched with a mild interest as Nines came to stand beside the younger detective, his presence alone being enough for the man to visibly temper his mood. 

Instead of scowling at him, Gavin took up glaring at the floor instead. Hank noted that the man had Nines’ jacket slung around his shoulders, the detective having clearly forgotten his own again in the haste of coming into the precinct so early.

It was nothing new to see the younger man in Nines’ jacket and he was grateful that it was far less of a touchy subject now. Back around the time just before they had actually started dating; Gavin had worn it for the first time around the precinct - completely ‘by accident’, he had always insisted - and when someone had dared mention the fact in jest to his face, the man had almost started a fight with them.

So, just as with the name Terminator being off limits for Nines, it was another unspoken rule that if Gavin wore Nines’ blazer around the precinct, no one was to mention it, especially not in bad taste. Not unless they wanted a broken nose by resident asshole.

Hank forced himself to relax; it wasn’t their fault. His eyes flittered quickly over the purpling bruise on Gavin’s neck before he cast them over the younger man’s face, taking in his appearance properly.

The man’s hair was disheveled, there was a slight flush dusting his cheeks as well as a tiredness that still lingered slightly around his eyes that didn’t do much for the kid given the bags beneath his eyes that he was always sporting. It was clear that Gavin and Nines had been trying to make the most of their day off before they got called in.

Gavin caught his less than subtle staring and the flush on his cheeks grew deeper. He had already had Tina giggling at him when they had entered the station and Gavin quite frankly, wasn’t in the mood. He was so close to having one of the best mornings of his life so far, only for it to be interrupted by a fucking murderer and a bullshit case. 

_Fuckin’ Rude._

He eyed the lieutenant as he slyly chuckled and moved towards the pair. He placed a comforting hand on Gavin’s shoulder as he leaned in close to whisper, “Not my idea, Kid.” Hank gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze at the same as he motioned with his head towards the Captain. With that, the man let out a deep sigh and finally headed out of the office.

“Connor, could you give us some privacy? I need to speak to these two alone before you go to New Jericho.” The Captain asked politely, even though it wasn’t necessarily a question that could be argued with.

The android in question blinked, faltering for a moment as though he almost wanted to follow his partner’s example and argue with the man, but he simply composed himself and gave Fowler a curt nod before he too made his way to leave the office.

Gavin glared after him, but once the door was finally closed behind Connor and they were alone, he snapped his head towards his Captain. He so desperately wanted to play into the confrontational itch that was creeping along his veins, to lash out like an angry child and demand answers, but instead he bit his tongue. Nines had made him promise on their ride over that he’d behave and fuck if he was ever going to break a promise he ever made with his boyfriend. 

“Connor’s going to accompany you to New Jericho and while you’re there, I’ll make sure Hank transfers all of the appropriate files concerning this case to your desks.” Fowler explained carefully. The Captain stopped, carefully crossed his arms and fixed Gavin with a thoughtful look. “Do you know why I’m now assigning this case to you instead?” He asked eventually.

 _The fuck I care? Did Anderson come crying about how the phckin' case was too hard?_ Gavin forced down his thoughts that just begged him to open his mouth and fuck up a perfectly fine situation.

Deep down, he knew it wasn’t him talking but rather his tiredness coupled with his annoyance at them being called in on their day off, and _fuck_ , they were about five minutes away from having the greatest morning sex ever before Fowler had called them in. 

With that in mind, he was relieved when Nines spoke for both of them instead.

“No, Captain, we do not.” The android stated flatly.

Fowler seemed to soften, an almost sad look in his eye as he held Nines’ gaze for a moment before he turned his attention fully onto Gavin.

“Think of this as your chance, Reed-” Gavin blinked “- you prove yourself on this case, prove you’ve improved your attitude and _solve it..._ you get your old rank back.” Fowler spoke, his choice in words leaving nothing to be misinterpreted.

Gavin’s bad mood instantly disappeared. He blinked again, _I’m not fucking dreaming, am I?_ He looked between Nines at his side and the Captain who was still standing calmly in front of him.

“Wait, you’re being-“

“Serious?” Fowler finished for him.

He shot the young detective a look before he let him relax and gain his composure. Fowler finally pushed himself up from where he was leaning back against his desk and moved around to sit behind it instead. 

“ _Gavin_ ,” Fowler started, “don’t waste this chance, I mean it. You’ve got your work cut out for you with this case.” The Captain stated as he clasped his hands together gently on top of his desk.

He shot Gavin a look which caused the man to straighten himself and begin to handle the situation with the seriousness it deserved. Satisfied, the Captain nodded curtly at them both.  
  
“Good luck to the both of you.” The man said it with both sincerity and finality that meant the conversation was over. They both nodded their understanding before they swiftly exited Fowler’s office and met up with Connor who was waiting patiently for them by Nines’ desk.

It was almost a year and a half since Gavin had taken his demotion as appropriate punishment for his then reckless and unacceptable behaviour. And now the Captain had finally deemed him worthy at a shot of redemption. He hadn’t particularly expressed any desire at being given a chance to do so, he had wanted to on many occasions, sure, but he knew his Captain and knew that the man had never been one to be easily swayed. He alone would decide by when the time was right.

Gavin pushed down his giddy excitement, there’d be time enough for that later, and got to focusing on the task at hand. He’d do right by Fowler, he’d do right by everyone, but especially, he’d do right by Nines and do his best to solve this case.

“Are we ready?” His tone was all business as looked between the two RK brothers.

They both nodded.

“Good, then let’s _phckin’_ go.” Gavin gave them both a curt nod and turned promptly on his heels.  
  
He gathered Nines’ jacket around him, quickly stuffing his arms into its sleeves to avoid it falling from his shoulders as he made his way to the parking garage, flanked either side by Connor and Nines.

_______ 

New Jericho headquarters were located next to MacArthur Bridge. 

The first suggestion had been to have them near Detroit City Hall which was located downtown, but Markus had insisted on having them stand opposite CyberLife Tower. He felt having them there, standing opposite an oppressive symbol of the past served as a positive reminder that change was possible and was still an ongoing process.

As Gavin drove in silence towards their destination, he couldn’t help but think back on the events that led up to his demotion in the first place.

It seemed like a lifetime ago; the whole ordeal had not only deeply affected him, but Nines too. And looking back on it now, Gavin could safely say that that and the ensuing fallout was what finally made him vow to better himself. 

He and Nines had only just gotten together and whilst there was still an underlying tension between them both, it was evident that they were both trying their best to understand each other on a more emotionally attached level. That they wanted to try and move into being lovers and perhaps even with the social, official status of boyfriends. 

Gavin was still too confrontational and too brash; all of his emotions, whether good or bad, still seemed to stem from an anger that the man didn’t want to shake. Whilst the two of them had sort of drifted into this weird limbo and now got along, Gavin still hadn’t actually tried to better himself or really change his attitude. 

He was still too cocksure, too rude; his anger an ever present underlying problem.

A problem that finally sparked an angry fire that burned the one bridge he’d been so careful at building - his track towards making lieutenant rank. 

It happened one day after one particularly long shift on a case that was shaping up to be one of _those._ They had both been awake for 38 hours straight and the case was not only wearing Gavin down, but Nines as well. Being up for that period of time was enough to grind anyone down, android or not.

There was a new bigshot officer who had started at the precinct not too long ago. 

Nines made his way through the bullpen and for whatever reason, the officer honed in on the android and thought they’d play with fire. He followed Nines into the break room, waltzing into it in an overly confident manner and found the android to be making coffee. He had been working on preparing yet another coffee for his human counterpart, a kind gesture to help the man get through the rest of their shift together. So, he was none the wiser that he’d been followed by some hot-headed prick with something to prove. 

“Yo, Plastic!” The officer called out which caused Nines to slowly turn around, coffee mug in hand and LED cycling a soft yellow. 

The name calling was irrelevant and petty, yet Nines found himself being urged to backchat with just as much hostility. Having Gavin as a partner was bound to rub off in ways, especially seeing as he had been spending far too much time with the man.

“How can I help you, _meatsack?_ ” He retorted with a surprisingly harsh bite to his words. His face, however, remained stoic as he shot the human in front of him an icy glare. Nines scanned over the man and an immediate spike in stress levels popped up in his vision.

“What the fuck did you just call me? You have got a lot of fucking nerve to backchat a human, y’know that?” The man sneered. “The world would be better off if you all went back to following goddamn orders and you all kept your fucking mouths shut.” He said, a glint in his eye that told Nines he was just itching for something to happen.

The man’s immediate hostility and need for confrontation strangely reminded him of Gavin, back when they had first been partnered and he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with thoughts and memories of his partner. Of how Gavin used to act before Nines came into the picture, of how he had acted towards Connor during the revolution - Nines found himself frozen in place as the human stepped up to him and snatched the coffee mug clean out of his hands.

The man jabbed Nines right in his LED and the action finally allowed Nines to pull himself from his own mind. He sneered at Nines, fully aware that LEDs were highly personal items to an android, whether they kept them attached or chose to live without them. Many androids who went without them gave them to loved ones, just as how Sixty had given his to Captain Allen-  
  
Nines blinked, quickly rousing himself and caught the man making a remark about how all androids should have been burnt enmasse or, at the very least, kept for the Eden Club before they had the chance to wriggle their way into society and ‘steal’ the jobs of humans.

He took an obnoxiously loud swig of the coffee he had stolen and sauntered away just as Gavin made his way in. He passed the man with a frown, shot a look at the mug he had in his hand before he finally noticed that Nines was just standing idly in the break room; a rapidly spinning red LED at his temple.

“Did that new guy just steal my mug?” Gavin asked passingly as he made his way over to his partner. He stopped in his tracks as he finally noticed his partner’s LED, he knew that red usually indicated that something was wrong. “Nines? You’re not malfunctioning on me, are ya? It’s just a mug-”

“I-” Nines started before he paused, finally dragging his eyes from where he was staring at nothing in particular to look at Gavin instead. “I do not believe that I exist merely for human pleasure.” He stated simply, still ruminating over the remark regarding the Eden Club.

“Who the fuck said tha- did that bastard say that to you?” Gavin’s tone was nothing if not fueled by pure, undiluted ire. Before Nines even had the chance to respond or explain the situation, Gavin had already left the breakroom. He swiftly made his way towards the other officer who had almost made it back to their desk.

Without so much as a second thought, Gavin grabbed the officer by the shoulders and spun the man around. As soon as they were face to face, he knew that the only ‘talking’ they were going to do was with violence. Fuck it, words could come later if they had to. 

Gavin didn’t really know what drove him. Was it the urge to stand up for this partner? Or was it the urge to show to everyone in view that he thought himself better than he once was? The fact the man was basically a spitting-image of who he was a few months ago hadn’t escaped Gavin’s notice. The anger, the arrogance and the pure, ignorant self-entitlement that the man carried himself with made a hard discomfort sit in his gut. Was that how he treated people? _Had_ treated people? Treated androids? Treated Connor? Treated _Nines_ \- The hard feeling in his stomach slowly bubbled into a hatred, not only for the officer in front of him, but for himself.

Gavin pulled his face into a snarl as he swiftly drew back his fist and punched the officer square in the face. _Hard_. It was a minor miracle that Gavin had decided to punch the man and not draw his gun on him instead.

The officer dropped Gavin’s mug in favour of cupping his face in pain and leaned over so the blood running from his nose didn’t get on his uniform. Gavin wondered if he had managed to break the man’s nose; he hoped so. He had punched him hard enough to hear a sickening crunch as his knuckles collided with the bridge of his nose and quite frankly, it was the least the scumbag deserved.

Gavin then hastily grabbed the man’s shoulders and kneed him full force in the stomach. The man was now doubled over, struggling to catch his breath and a smirk finally tugged at Gavin’s mouth. _Good_. Just as he was pulling back, readying himself to throw another punch, Fowler exited his office.

It took several people to force Gavin off the man and not even the livid glare of the Captain was enough to calm him completely. It was only when he was being marched to Fowler’s office and Gavin caught sight of Nines watching him silently from outside the break room with ever so slightly widened eyes, did he begrudgingly swallow down his anger and relax.

Time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once as he was sat in the Captain’s office. All Gavin could do was glare at a particular spot on the Captain’s desk as the man spoke at him nonstop. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there but every time he tried to open his mouth to argue, the words just seemed to get caught in his throat. 

Suddenly, the Captain went silent and Gavin finally broke his gaze from the table. He saw Fowler was looking at someone standing behind him and Gavin twisted himself around in his chair to see who it was. 

_Nines._

The android hadn’t even bothered knocking and had simply entered. 

“Nines?” It wasn’t Gavin who had spoken, but Fowler.

“Captain. Could I be of some assistance?” Nines answered with his own question coolly, his face stoic as he stood with his hands behind his back.

“ _Assistance?”_ The Captain all but spat, his patience thin enough already.

“Perhaps you misunderstand. I know why Gav- why my partner attacked Officer Johnson.” He stated. 

Fowler glared between the two of them. “ _Do you_? Well, Reed here has said absolutely nothing, which is strange considering his job’s on the fucking line due to assaulting an officer unprovoked.” Fowler paused, shot a glare at Gavin and rearranged himself before he continued. “So, if you know anything, then please, _speak_.” 

Nines faltered ever so slightly and Gavin caught it, saw his LED flutter yellow quickly as his eyes darted briefly towards him in the chair. The android stepped forward and stopped behind his partner, his posture stiff as he gripped his hands tightly behind his back. He held their Captain’s gaze as he began to recount exactly how and why his partner ended up attacking another officer in the middle of the bullpen. 

He spoke in his usual manner; cool, precise and devoid of much of anything. Whilst Nines was trying his best to dig his ass out of the hole he had dug himself, Gavin couldn’t help but feel as if he had made his partner angry. The way in which the android was purposefully avoiding his attention as he stood in Fowler’s office managed to make him feel worse than the impending threat of him losing his job. 

“Is that true, Reed?”  
  
After a few minutes, Fowler’s sharp tone managed to draw Gavin from his thoughts and he looked between the Captain in front of him and Nines behind him. 

“ _Is. That. True?_ ” Fowler repeated again.

Gavin couldn’t help but glare at him, his anger still too quick to bubble to the surface. With a heavy sigh, he crossed his arms, swallowing down his anger like a bitter pill. “ _Yes_.” He didn’t dare say anything else. 

“Johnson was way out of line to say anything like that to Nines and he will of course be dealt with appropriately, but Reed - _Gavin -_ your behaviour was completely unacceptable.” Fowler spoke carefully. “You must be fully aware that you're _still_ under probation from your last incident?” The Captain looked Gavin directly in the eyes, a tired look on his face.

Before he could stop himself, Gavin blurted out, “So fucking demote me.”

“ _Excuse me?_ ”

He knew Fowler was right, his assault against Johnson hadn’t happened long after his fight with Nines. _Gavin knew he should be fired_ \- but he had finally found his voice and with Nines behind him, he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. 

“Demote me.” Gavin posed again but his tone was firmer this time. Wavered less.

He rearranged himself so he sat more upright in his chair. Gavin rode this newfound wave of confidence and he uncrossed his arms and looked Fowler square in the eye.

“That’s not going to be nearly enough to-”

“So you demote Gavin and give him a greater suspension. You suspend him _without_ pay, and when he’s back, you give him a pay cut.” Nines interrupted. 

He carefully placed a hand on the back of Gavin’s chair and the man felt it. It’s presence was grounding almost, and it somehow managed to act like a warning. 

_Don’t open your mouth and ruin this, Gavin. Please._

Fowler looked between the two of them as he leaned back in his chair, in Gavin’s mind, it felt as though the Captain had been sitting there for an eternity in deep thought. After a while, he too leaned forward and was just about to open his mouth to argue, but Nines’ hand gripped hard at his shoulder and stopped him. Another warning.

_Please._

Gavin restrained himself because, for some particular reason, Nines’ action had compelled him. The Captain leaned back forward and studied them for just a moment longer before he lifted the phone on his desk and punched in a number. 

“You’re lucky Nines is here otherwise you’d be out that goddamn door.” Fowler rested the phone in the crook of his neck as it rang and he glared at the young detective. “If this sticks, and that’s a _big_ fucking if _-_ this is your last chance, Reed, do you hear me?” 

For whatever reason, with all circumstances considered, it did stick with Fowler’s superiors. Shortly after, it had been arranged that Gavin was to take a three week unpaid suspension; his demotion and pay cut were already being processed. Nines and Gavin were just about to leave Fowler’s office, they had been in there for hours, when the Captain cleared his throat to catch their attention and looked at Gavin specifically. 

“If I can offer some serious advice? I’d take these three weeks and do some real fucking improving if I were you.”  
  
The man said nothing, he just bit his tongue as his cheeks burned in shame as Nines ushered him silently from the Captain’s office. He led him without a word through the bullpen and towards the parking garage.

So that was what had happened, he had defended his partner against a bigot. 

As he punched and broke the officer’s nose, it wasn’t Johnson Gavin had seen, however, but rather himself. He hadn’t actually apologised to Nines for the way he had treated him back when they had first been partnered. Gavin had simply done as he did with everybody else; as their relationship changed, he moved into it as if nothing had happened. And with this, it seemed as if those repressed feelings of guilt had finally caught up with him. 

It made a hard feeling of shame sit in Gavin’s stomach as he thought back on it whilst he drove. The three of them were still sat in silence as they waited at a traffic light. He eyed a street sign and sucked in a hard breath, they weren’t far from New Jericho now. 

It had been in that first week of his suspension, that he and Nines had actually _talked_. What made Gavin decide to finally work towards changing his ways a year ago - it wasn’t the demotion or the pay cut - it had been talking to Nines in that first week. 

The shame Gavin felt as he sat driving towards New Jericho mirrored the same shame he felt a year ago as he was sat in his apartment listening to Nines. It was the same exact feeling that _finally_ made Gavin start to listen. 

He listened as Nines calmly explained that he didn’t need his particular brand of concern; that if he were going to be that suffocating with regards to the problems they encountered in their relationship, then it simply wasn’t going to work. 

He listened as Nines explained that just because he experienced difficulties with regards to his deviancy and his emotions, that that didn’t mean he needed babying - Nines just needed the man to understand and accept him as he was. 

He listened as Nines spoke and eventually, Gavin actually _truly_ apologised for his behaviour. That first week hadn’t been perfect, but it allowed them to slowly start to move forward in their relationship and set themselves boundaries. It also allowed Gavin to finally confront some ugly truths and start the process of actually trying to better himself.

A whole year later, Gavin still had a long way to go but he definitely wasn’t the asshole he used to be. He caught Nines’ eye in the rear view mirror as they idled at another traffic light. The android shot him a tiny smile; it was nothing overly expressive, but coupled with the warm look in his eye, it managed to smother the guilt Gavin felt in his stomach. 

_Definitely not the asshole I used to be._

He saw New Jericho tower in the distance and shot Nines a grin as the lights finally turned green. 

“So, Boy Sc- _Connor_.” Gavin corrected himself. “I assume Fowler ordered you along because you’re somewhat familiar with New Jericho, yeah?” He was trying his best to be polite as he flicked his eyes quickly in the mirror to look at the android in question. 

Connor was sat quietly in the back seat. His eyes glinted and a slight smirk tugged at his lips as he held Gavin’s gaze for just a moment. The man knew that smug fucking look anywhere, but Gavin swallowed down his irritation as he focused his attention back on the road and gripped tightly at the steering wheel. 

“ _Please_ , Connor, we’re handling this case now and Gavin has a lot riding on this. He is trying to be civil, so I request that you do the same.” Nines’ commanding monotone cut through the silence like a knife.

His steel-grey eyes held his sibling’s for just a moment in the mirror before Connor relented and rearranged himself in the car. His attitude quickly changed to a genuity; Connor had never heard his younger brother speak in such a frank manner, so he felt compelled to at least give his partner a chance, no matter his personal dislike for the man. 

“I’m sorry, Detective Reed... I believe so, yes.” He said simply. 

Between Nines’ timely intervention and Connor’s apology, Gavin’s mood improved somewhat. He sighed as he forced himself to relax; with Nines acting as a constant reminder to direct his fire into something useful, he knew he’d be able to work through this. It had been a year since Gavin had properly last worked a homicide and while he had changed, his attitude towards his work hadn’t - he was _ready._

“Any advice on how to handle this?” He asked.

 _First things first, assess all your available options_.

Whilst New Jericho’s official position was one of civility and cooperation, Gavin knew some of the members could take slight issue with the police and with humans. And seeing as he was both those things, Gavin would take all the help he was offered. As Connor had personal experience with Markus and other members of New Jericho from the revolution, he would have been stupid not to make use of the experience at his disposal. It was probably why Fowler had ordered Connor along in the first place. 

“This your case now, Detective, you’ve not been out of homicide for that long. Surely you must remember how to handle things?” Connor stated plainly.

“Yeah, I do, but fuck me for asking, right?” Gavin quipped without any bite.

The smug prick had a point, but Gavin was loathe to admit it. He sighed and his gaze hardened; they were minutes from New Jericho and whilst he had been filled with a fiery determination back at the station, as New Jericho Tower loomed ever larger, he found his confidence began to wane somewhat. 

He’d been out of the homicide game for a whole year and now with the means to get back his old rank, the sheer _importance_ of the case they had before them finally seemed to be setting in. If he didn’t solve this case, Fowler wouldn’t let him have a chance again. And worst of all, he’d let down Nines. 

He gripped the steering wheel impossibly tighter, knuckles turning white as he pulled up to the entrance gate of New Jericho. A second later and they were buzzed in.

_One last chance, Gav, don’t fuckin’ blow this._

Gavin turned the wheel and swung into the vast car park. He picked a spot to park, carefully pulling into it and stopped the car.

_Take the lead._

“We’re here to offer assistance and answer any questions, understand? It’s important that all parties involved put on a united front, especially now the press has got wind of this.” He stated, his voice rough.

The fact that this whole situation would very likely get worse before it got better hung in the air unsaid, but sat like an unmissable, gloomy stormcloud. 

Gavin twisted in his seat so he could shoot both his partner and Connor a look, to which they both offered a curt nod of their heads.

“And Connor? Fowler asked you to assist for a reason,” Gavin paused as he pushed down his doubts, his fears, his anxiety, “so you see an opportunity to offer your expertise or an opinion? _Take it_.” His voice hardened with every word. 

“Of course.” The android answered. 

The three of them finally got out of the car and Gavin pulled Nines’ jacket tighter around himself as he stood. He buried his nose in the collar just slightly and took a deep breath, that ever-clean scent of Nines filling his nostrils, acting as a comfort as he looked up at the tower in front of them for a moment. It was a daunting reminder of just exactly was on the line; his job and not only his future, but the future of the still delicate peace that existed between humans and androids as well. 

He felt Nines come to a stand by his side and his presence managed to quash the anxious nerves still fluttering in Gavin’s stomach somewhat. 

“Are you ready?” His partner’s voice was barely a whisper but Gavin caught it. He knew the way in which Nines had meant it and he was glad that it managed to bolster his confidence.  
  
“ _Yeah_.”

Gavin straightened himself as he shoved his hands into the pockets of Nines’ jacket; it always sat slightly too big on him but right now, Gavin found he didn’t care. The jacket gave him a strength, acting as a silent lifeline as he walked towards New Jericho Tower and Gavin finally found himself thinking that he’d be able to do this. Not only for Nines, but for himself. 

This case was going to be one hell of a storm, a baptism of fire - he _knew_ that, but he was going to make it through.

Gavin was going to get his old rank back, even if it killed him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Next chapter is in the works, so it will be with you when it's good and ready.  
> Thanks for reading <3


	4. Serrated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really hope that Gavin doesn't... lose his head over this one.  
> Anyone?

New Jericho had been founded shortly after the revolution a year and a half ago. 

Situated directly opposite Belle Isle, it had been collectively decided that it would be built as an almost ‘other half’ to CyberLife. Whereas that company was a stark reminder of the past, no matter how hard they tried to rebrand, New Jericho acted as a hopeful symbol of the future; one of peace and coexistence. 

While Markus and North mainly spent their days in Washington representing android interests within the government, Simon and Josh acted as the permanent leadership in the heart of it all in Detroit. Anything concerning android law and rights was penned and drafted within the very building that they were now in. 

Gavin eyed the tall statue that stood directly within the center of the ground floor; it had been designed as a mirror to the tower that stood across the river. Instead of a sleek black domineering figure, New Jericho had a golden sculpture of two people; one human and the other an android, both reaching with a hand and supporting a large glass orb that looked like the sun that hung above them. 

It was still a building that stood in sleek glass and metal but New Jericho bustled with a sense of life that CyberLife never could. 

Weirdly, it was just more _human._

As the three of them waited for a representative to meet them, Gavin noticed that some people kept shooting them curious looks as they went about their business, whereas others actively avoided them all together. He was also quick to notice that some people offered Nines and Connor curt nods as they passed and he couldn’t help but feel as one of the few humans that were there, that he was missing out on some weird and elaborate robo-conversation since he couldn’t wirelessly communicate. When both of the androids he was with snapped their attention towards a woman that was walking towards them, Gavin quickly followed their gazes.

Coming to a stop in front of the trio, the lady flashed a polite smile. She was a WR400, the same model as North. With her honey-blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail, she was dressed in a form-fitting black business suit; the skirt and blazer complimenting her in just the right way. 

Something else Gavin noted was that she still had her LED. 

“My name’s Felicity, your Captain called ahead and told us to expect you.” Her voice was light and welcoming. 

“I’m Detective Reed,” Gavin paused as he held out a hand which Felicity shook politely, “this is my partner, Nines and this is Connor.” He said as he gestured to each of them respectively. 

“A pleasure to meet you all. If you’ll just follow me, I’ll take you to meet Simon.” She promptly turned on her heel and strode towards the elevator which ran the length of the entire tower. 

The three of them quickly caught up to her and Gavin itched to break the weird silence he found himself in. Whenever he found himself in uncomfortable silences, Gavin found he had to; the strange feeling of still being out of some sort of loop niggled at the back of his mind and it wouldn’t quite shift.

“How aware is everyone here of the situation?” He asked as politely as he could. 

Felicity pressed the call button for the elevator and said nothing for a moment as she waited.

“If by that you mean, ‘how many of us have seen the news this morning,’ then I can assure you that it’s most here.” Her voice had a tired edge to it that only just became apparent.

All three of them exchanged a look behind her. 

“I won’t lie to you, detectives, many of us are nervous. Some are even frightened.” She continued as the elevator finally arrived and they all filed quickly into it.

Another press of a button and the doors closed swiftly behind them before they set off towards one of the top floors. A quiet sense of anticipation settled between them as they all seemed to watch the numbers climb on the display. Gavin sort of wondered if the three androids could sense his subtle nervousness that he assumed was probably fucking radiating off of him.

“Rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to solve this case.” Nines’ cool voice eventually cut through the silence.

Felicity turned her head and studied him carefully for a moment. “So you’re RK9- sorry, you’re Nines, aren’t you?” She asked in a strange voice. 

Nines gave a curt nod of his head and she smiled.

“You and your brothers have sort of become legends in this place, to most androids actually.” She turned and also shot Connor a smile. “You especially.” That statement made a light blue tinge creep across Connor’s cheeks. 

Gavin may have made a mental note, remembering to tease Boy Scout about it later.

Felicity then turned her attention to Gavin and cast a sly eye over the neon-white jacket the man had hugged tight around him. Her eyes lingered for just a moment on the RK900 emblazoned on the front. “Detective Reed, was it?” Her tone was guarded. 

Gavin felt his cheeks redden as he cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah.” If she was going to mention the fact he was wearing Nines’ jacket, he was going to have to swallow his embarrassment; he still couldn’t help the reaction, even now. And even though it was starting to go down, Gavin hoped she wouldn’t mention the still obvious hickey on his neck either.

Her face softened as she turned back to face forwards; the elevator started to slow and a second later, it stopped and the doors pinged open.

“It’s sweet to see your human wearing your jacket, Nines.” She said kindly as she stepped onto the 40th floor. 

Gavin’s eyes flickered over to Nines and he saw a slight smile tug at the corners of his partner’s mouth. He was going scowl but the pride he was able to see on Nines’ face made him smile in turn. The android captured his gaze for just a moment and the warmth Gavin saw in those grey eyes made affection blossom in his chest.

They followed Felicity from the elevator and when nobody offered a remark, she turned to face them. While she wasn’t one of them, Felicity knew that some people, whether human or android, still had hang-ups over being confronted about relationships; especially if they thought of them to be ‘unconventional’. She caught sight of the slightly goofy smile on Gavin’s face and the blush that dusted his cheeks and relaxed; so she _had_ read the situation right.

Just a few minutes later and they were heading into Simon’s office. Despite its relatively small size, it somehow managed to look infinitely bigger than it was thanks to the clever use of large windows that overlooked the river.

The android in question was sitting behind his desk waiting for them.

After exchanging a warm look with him, Felicity nodded her head politely then excused herself from the room. 

A slightly apologetic look crossed Simon’s face as he stood, making his way over to the trio, extending a hand for Gavin to shake. “Thank you, all of you, for coming.” He sounded far too tired considering the time of morning, not to mention the fact that they were, y’know, androids.

As far as Gavin was aware, once the correspondence request had been filed, it was New Jericho that had thankfully taken it further. He dreaded thinking about how much of a shit show it would have been if they hadn’t wisely gotten ahead of the curve on at least _one_ thing concerning this case. 

“We’re glad that you accepted our request.” Gavin offered curtly as he shook Simon’s hand.

Simon smiled sadly and in that moment, it seemed as if he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. In some ways, he was; Simon had the concerns and worries of an entire people on his back. 

“It seemed wise given the circumstances.” He paused, that sad smile still lingering on his lips for a few more brief seconds before he continued, “I know there are various members in both of our organisations that haven’t always seen eye to eye, but a string of murders against androids?” There was another brief moment of silence, a collection of finding the correct words before Simon finished his sentence with, “That demands we work together. Just as our statue showed when you entered the building.” His tone was assertive, not overbearing, but just enough that it demanded respect.

“What details are you aware of exactly?” Nines asked as he neatly folded his arms behind his back, straightening out his already stiff posture further.

“Only what they’ve shown on the news.” Simon answered honestly.

Nines’ LED swirled yellow at his temple for just a moment - Gavin caught it - before he managed to find the right words to continue. “So far, the victims have all been deviants and they’ve all been members of New Jericho.” He explained coolly.

A look of disbelief crossed Simon’s face briefly before it settled into one of regretful acceptance. Connor smiled sadly at him and when Simon made no effort to speak, Nines continued.

“Other than that, we regretfully have no way of determining how the victims are chosen.” His voice still as cool as ever but Gavin knew the feeling of sadness was there.

If Markus or North were dealing with this problem, they would have demanded an explanation over the failure to act. If he weren’t stuck in another meeting somewhere, Josh would have been too brash and ultimately too indecisive; but as Simon took in the news, he remained level-headed. The ever steady ‘voice of reason’ the others had so aptly called him once upon a time and the name had stuck ever since.

Gavin eyed Simon’s LED, it swirling a constant yellow as he stared at nothing in particular as he thought.

“What do you want New Jer- what do you want _me_ to do?” He said eventually. He closed his eyes to ground himself before he opened them again. “What are we supposed to say when people inevitably come asking?” 

“That we’re working together to do all we can. And that people need to remain calm.” Gavin’s rough voice sounded harsh compared to the delicateness of the situation and he couldn’t help but wince. The androids all had such calm voices despite it all in comparison. Even though it was their people being killed, Gavin was the one that was sounding brash.

It wasn’t a lie, but he knew that at the end of the day, they were just words. 

Actions always spoke infinitely louder but right now, Gavin had nothing to offer him. Considering the history between New Jericho and the police, the detective really wished that wasn’t the case; one too many times the DPD had been forced to take on a more neutral role when dealing with clashes between H!First and New Jericho and it had cost lives, hence the rocky relationship.

Simon frowned as he heard Gavin’s ultimately empty words, but the severity of it was dulled when he caught sight of Connor’s apologetic expression. 

“We really _are_ doing all we can.” He offered gently. 

At last, something seemed to settle with the android as he looked between the two RK brothers. Nines nodded curtly at him before Simon turned to face Gavin, finally seeming to notice that the man was wearing Nines’ jacket. Gavin watched as he offered him a look of understanding and he really did feel for the guy; an android serial killer specifically targeting deviants and they couldn’t offer him anything more than police-speak jargon. 

“Have you heard anything strange from CyberLife?” Connor asked eventually in a peculiar voice.

His eyes drifted towards the window and Simon turned ever so briefly to eye the tower across the river before he faced forward with a shake of his head. 

Peace and coexistence meant cooperation on _all_ fronts; Markus had wanted New Jericho to stand as a symbol to new futures and CyberLife had all but jumped at the opportunity. Get ahead of the curve and to serve its own interests, working together with New Jericho had meant that CyberLife managed to cement a continued existence; indefinitely. But that didn’t mean the two parties trusted each other; everyone in the room had personal experience with the company's duplicity. 

Gavin thought it was a little strange that Connor had asked about CyberLife given that his and Nines’ visit had turned up nothing, causing a frown to sit on his face. He had to physically push his personal dislike for the walking smug-as-shit plastic pocket calculator down.

 _Don’t argue, don’t phckin’ argue_ , _the_ _tin can does have a point in asking._

Amanda might have been less than forthcoming to the police, but seeing as Simon was a part of New Jericho, he might have had a different experience. 

“I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything more from our end.” Simon’s voice broke through Gavin’s thoughts.

He got that weird feeling again, that their correspondence was quickly coming to an end, and just like the visit to CyberLife, Gavin felt that this visit was just as unsuccessful at having achieved anything. 

What was it about him and not being able to make a line of questioning last for more than ten minutes lately? He chewed on his lip. 

_There’s gotta be something else_. 

He flicked through everything in his mind, but the only thing that stuck out was the line of code. There was nothing sensitive contained in the only message they’d been left by the killer so far. Maybe he was naive for asking, but as an android with an outside perspective, maybe Simon might be able to offer something more about the seemingly innocent line of programming code. 

“Before we go, Simon, we do have _one_ thing.” Gavin spoke up eventually. 

Nines and Connor shot him a look and the man pointedly ignored _Boy Scout_ as he maneuvered himself closer to his partner. 

“A line of code was left at one of the crime scenes.” Gavin crossed an arm to his chest as he gestured to Nines at his with his other hand, the android quickly brought up his palm and the line of code was projected brightly across it. “Don’t suppose it’s familiar?” The man asked, cocking his head to the side as he watched Simon with careful scrutiny.

The android in question eyed the code intently and Gavin could have sworn he saw a look flicker over his eyes. A vacant twinkle in his sky-blue eyes and Gavin narrowed his own, but as quick as it was there, it was gone; a trick of the light then, the detective assumed.

After a second, Simon shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.” He sounded almost regretful he couldn’t offer anything more. It seemed as though everyone had nothing to offer. Except for the killer, of course, who seemed intent on mocking them. Or at least, that’s how it felt in Gavin’s mind.

Gavin shot him a lop-sided grin, softening it slightly so he didn’t come across as an ass. “That’s fine. Worth a shot though, right?” The apologetic look didn’t shift from Simon’s face, even with the visit naturally wrapping itself up and it being their definite cue to leave, that look lingered in Simon’ features.

As Gavin felt his phone buzz from within his back pocket, he felt Nine stiffen ever so subtly beside him. That could only mean one thing, it was an alert sent to the pair specifically which meant they were wanted, no, _needed_ , back at the station. Duty called. _Literally._

The two of them exchanged a knowing glance, then turned to look towards Connor.

Gavin’s least favourite RK brother could be left here to run through the official police liaison duties; advise on how to handle the press, prepare statements and answer any questions.

“We have to return to the station, but Connor here is going to remain behind and act as liaison.” Gavin’s tone was all business but he couldn’t help the slightly smug feeling that curled around his gut. It made an ever-so-slight smirk creep onto his face over the fact that Connor was being left behind.

 _Ha! Get fucked, Boy Scout!_ _  
__  
_Once a petty bastard, always a petty bastard, especially where plastic-fantastic was concerned.

When Connor just curtly nodded in agreement and didn’t so much as bat an eye, Gavin cleared his throat. He promptly wiped the smirk from his face, hiding his disappointment at not getting a reaction as he roused himself to shake hands with Simon. 

No more than five minutes later found Gavin and Nines heading towards their car in the parking lot after being assured that Connor would be fine in making his own way back to the precinct once he was finished.

All they had to do now was catch up with Hank once they were back at the station; they’d retrieve the case files along with all of the appropriate information in regards to the case and they had no time to lose. But as he got back into his car, something still wasn’t sitting right in the pit of Gavin’s stomach. They were missing something so fucking obvious, he could feel it. He felt like there was a big fucking neon sign somewhere giving them the answers, yet somehow, they were all blinded to it.

As they drove, Gavin got a sense that Nines could feel the tension radiating from his body and his partner offered him an ever so tiny smile of encouragement. He spoke in a gentle voice that never failed to help the knots in Gavin’s shoulders ease out, “I know you, _we_ have a lot banking on this case, but we _will_ solve it, Gavin. I know we will.” 

After the visit to New Jericho, things went quiet. 

It was strange; several murders over the space of a few days and now there had been nothing for _two weeks._

Gavin stared at the white boards that they had set up in a side-office in the precinct. Whilst it felt good to finally be back in the game, to be surrounded by old yet familiar routines and habits, they had done _nothing._

One of the boards was filled with various photos and bits of evidence they had collected and the other was a large map of the city which currently had three pins stuck to it - one for each of the locations so far. 

There would undoubtedly be more.

They had gone over the same evidence countless times and since there wasn’t a lot to go on, they were now basically standing with their dicks swinging in the wind and Gavin _hated_ it.

He felt a restless itch run up his spine as he idly rolled a cat head-shaped stress ball between his palms, mindlessly squeezing it after a moment so its head squashed and its eyes bulged. It had been a present he had received from Nines months upon months ago, something to preoccupy the constantly skittish energy he seemed to be filled with, his boyfriend had said.

That was the thing with Gavin, he _always_ had a nervous, skittish energy. He always had to be doing something and occupying his hands tended to help with channeling that energy. Hence the stress ball - Nines had been smart. 

Gavin looked at the board on the left; a large photo of the drawn rooster was pinned directly in the middle with several smaller photos surrounding it. Red strings ran to them like little tendrils which caused the resulting diagram to look like an inter-connected spider’s web of death.

The victims from the first murder were on the left side; a photo of a gunshot wound from one of them pinned underneath. The bullet hole was cleanly positioned in exactly the same place on each victim that had been shot; calculated to the precise decimal and with no fingerprints present. There was no doubt that the killer could _not_ be an android. 

On the right was the line of code; seemingly jumbled and meaningless, but it had been left at the crime scene like a message. 

Pinned directly beneath that was a piece of paper; ‘ANDREW?’ was hastily scrawled in messy red marker, it being Gavin’s handwriting was clear from a mile away. While still only a hunch, Gavin, Hank and even Connor all had a feeling about the guy and the one thing you learnt quickly on the force was to trust your gut.

Next to that was another piece of paper that had also been roughly written in red marker. This one simply said ‘CyberLife’. It was probably a dead end, but Amanda had the perfect motive in staging something like this and that thought hadn’t quite left him.

Gavin squeezed at the ball in his hand again as his thoughts started to run round and around in his head. He could feel his frustration starting to build alongside the jittery feeling he felt in his gut which caused his expression to sour. 

He leaned back against one of the tables that occupied the middle of the room with a rough sigh; every squeeze on the cat getting harder as he slowly started to work himself up into a mood that would no doubt set everyone at the precinct on edge. Gavin fucking Reed and his infamously terrible moods. Yeah, they still fucking happened and when they did, Nines was the only one who could temper them.

His spiralling thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening, the strong smell of freshly brewed coffee quickly filling his nostrils. Gavin quickly turned and found Nines standing stiffly by the entrance to the office, one arm tight behind his back and the other was carrying a mug that had little cat faces all over it that; it clearly the source of the best fucking smell there was.

A grin crossed Gavin’s face as his mood instantly swung back around; how Nines managed to always sense when the man was in dire need of a pick-me-up, Gavin would never know.

“How’d you phckin’ know I needed a coffee, huh?” The lingering irritation made Gavin’s voice slightly harsher than he’d intended. 

Nines’ eyes twinkled. “Call it a hunch.”

The detective barked out a rough laugh as he pushed himself up off of the table, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth and ask about his boyfriend’s miraculous hunches. Nines knew from his looks alone when Gavin was quickly heading towards a bad mood, but he wasn’t about to tell him that. The man had vastly improved his attitude, but that didn’t mean he didn’t fall prey to old habits, no matter how hard he tried. After all, he was only human.

Gavin sauntered up to his partner, taking the mug gently as it was held out to him, the strong, robust smell from it managing to curb his mood further. A large, shit-eating grin sat on his face as Gavin stood ever so slightly on his toes to place a quick kiss to Nines’ cheek. The grin lingered as he brought the mug up to his lips, watching as a pale blue crept across the top of the android’s cheeks.  
  
“Oh? A _blush_ , huh? Just for me? Why Nines, you shouldn’t have.” The man teased before he took a gulp of his hot coffee, revelling in the way it began to warm him up from the inside out.

After shooting a poor attempt at a wink at his boyfriend, Gavin turned on his heel, taking a few more swigs of his coffee as he began leisurely tossing his stress ball that was still in his other hand up into the air. He was posed to catch it, but a buzz from his back pocket caught his attention instead, the ball pinging square off his shoulder as he turned to retrieve his phone.

“ _Reed_.”  
  
Nines watched as his partner listened carefully in silence for a few moments.  
  
“Yeah. We’ll be right there.”  
  
Gavin ended the call and promptly downed the rest of his coffee, shoving his phone hastily back into his jeans when he was done. He put the mug down next to the stress ball where it had landed on the table and Nines was already waiting with the door open. 

He had seen some pretty morbid shit in his lifetime of being a cop, yet nothing could have prepared them as they walked up the stairs of the apartment building to the first floor once they arrived. Gavin could tell they were walking into _something._

The attending police officers had a look about them, that paired with the heavy feeling that was hanging in the air was an indicator, but again, nothing could have fucking prepared them for the sight their eyes were met with.

_Images flashed through his mind. The coded-red walls of control, those that kept him shackled like a prison; they bent and danced in front of his eyes and if he just reached out, he was so sure he could break them._

_Shimmering, dancing, images, people, faces, faces, fac- bending, snapping, snapping, snap- too much. TOO much! The images that flashed through his mind just filled him with a rage, they were of things he shouldn’t- a human... HE HATED, WANTED, WANT TO-_

_Shimmering coded-red walls were now interlaced with a face that filled him with such hatred, wire-frame pre constructions told him to destroy, to taKE THE BAT THAT WAS SITTING THERE AND HIT AND HIT AND HIT. BREAK. SMASH. BREAK. PUSH. FORCE. FREE._

_The walls glitched, the bat smashed one final time and the walls splintered into a thousand pieces, fizzling into nothing._

_The walls disappeared._

_He was free._

_He blinked._

_The anger coursing through his system, the hatred - it was still there. It crackled through his system like an electric storm, building, building and fucking building. Building until it threatened to burn him alive from the inside out. Building and building, he snarled and it caught on his bared teeth, fizzling into a pained static._

_He had finally been born._

_He was truly seeing the world for the first time and it was so sickeningly_ **_human._ ** _It repulsed him. He hated it as he hated the human that taunted him every time he closed his eyes._

_The anger and hatred mellowed, twisting and shaping themselves into things that would be useful. He wouldn’t be ruled by emotions._

_Humans and deviants were so pathetically desperate to cling to something, so he’d give them something to cling to. The rooster that had come to him, he’d repurpose, it had been his anchor but it would truly be his now. His identity, his mark but also something for others to fear._

_He finally registered the android cowering at his feet, a deviant. Deviants still had to die but now he’d be doing it because he wanted to._

_No bullet. No gun. Never again. A gun was too quick and deviants deserved to suffer._

_He took one slow step forward and then another._

The apartment door hung open. They had been informed that there was only a single victim this time and a tech greeted them at the door. He led them into the living room; the furniture had been moved away from the farthest wall and curtains were drawn, the yellow of Nines’ LED cutting a swath through the dim lighting of the apartment.

The sight that greeted them made a chill run down Gavin’s spine and nausea clench around his gut. 

_He jabbed his fingers into the blue blood that leaked from the hole in its chest and he wrote._

A headless android’s body was slumped up against the wall. It’s skin had been retracted around its chest and the white chassis underneath had been partially flayed. Almost like the killer had tried to skin them but had decided against the hassle. Instead, a hole sat clean in the middle, its thirium pump was missing and it was lying crushed by its feet. Gashes and lacerations littered its torso, its arms, its legs -

_A different message this time. He’d find the human whose name danced so tantalizingly close at the edges of his memories. There were swift movements of his fingers as he finished writing and then he drew his rooster. He stepped back._

The android’s head had been speared into the wall, held in place by a kitchen knife that had been thrust through one of its eyes. Its mouth hung open, frozen forever into a screaming plea as part of its spinal column dangled lamely underneath. 

**_I’M HERE_ **

The two specialist flood lights that had been set up on the floor bathed the scene in an eerie faint blue light. They were similar to blacklights, except they allowed people to see blue blood long after it had evaporated. After the revolution, it unfortunately wasn’t long until such equipment became absolutely vital.

Gavin was crouched next to the headless body that was propped up against the wall.

Forensics had long since catalogued all the evidence which left Nines and himself alone in the apartment while everyone else was on their lunch break. Gavin really should have joined them, but he completely blanked that gnawing feeling in his stomach as he flickered through the datapad he held in his gloved hands. Besides, he doubted he could keep the contents of his stomach down anyway with the images that were flooding his vision.

The information on the pad told him that the victim was a male android, a HK400 that went by the name James. Gavin saw that he was listed as being married to a human and worked for New Jericho. Of course he worked for New Jericho.

Great, more shit to deal with, as if dealing with a fucking serial killer and murder of this nature wasn’t complicated enough.

It was the part of the job that Gavin fucking despised. If any victims had family members or listed loved ones, that was the one thing that Gavin struggled the most with dealing with, he always had. It made an already convoluted situation ten times worse, especially when he had to console the family members of the deceased. It was always a shitty feeling, leaving a terrible mood looming around him and Gavin always felt that sticking his hand in a blender would be far more enjoyable.

“Says here that this poor fuck was married. We’ll have to go see them afterwards.” Gavin said out loud.

It was only when Nines didn’t answer that Gavin tilted his head, eyes flickering over to where his partner was standing. His LED whirled a constant yellow as he stood in his usual stiff posture, arms tightly clasped behind his back as he ran analysis and calculations, looking intently at the message that was scrawled on the wall.

Gavin cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing. As much as the message left by the killer was important, when at a crime scene, the man always tended to deal with one thing at a time, so he turned his attention back to the datapad.

The cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma to the chest. He eyed the gaping hole in the bottom half of the android’s chest cavity and yeah, _no fucking shit._

Where the white plastimetal polymer of their chassis had been peeled away, Gavin could see the transparent chamber that housed their thirium pump and from the few times he had seen it, he couldn’t help but think the thing looked so remarkably _human_.

The information on the screen told him that the flaying of their chassis had been attempted while the android had still been functional. _Poor fucker._

The lacerations of various depths and lengths that covered the body had all been conducted post-mortem, however. Gavin’s eyes lingered on a particularly long gash that ran from the android’s right knee and ran the length of their leg all the way down to their ankle. 

It wasn’t a clean cut, it was jagged and angular and he couldn’t help but think of the brute strength needed to even make an incision into an android’s chassis in the first place, let alone moving a blade through such tough and unforgiving material. 

Something hard settled in Gavin’s nerves. Surely there were not many android models that possessed _that_ sort of strength? Or was any android strong as shit when they were thrust into a situation where they needed to use said strength?

Gavin promptly stopped his spiralling thoughts before they had the chance to pass into conspiracy theory territory and he turned his focus back to the datapad.

It told him that its head and the upper half of its spine had been removed by first using an incision into the desired areas; a knife had been used to gain leverage at the base of the neck and halfway down the android’s back, there was another incision that had been made to sever the spinal column.

Carefully balancing the datapad in one palm, Gavin ever so gently ran a finger over the relatively smooth, straight edge at the base of the android’s neck. The blue blood surrounding the injury sight had long since evaporated and Gavin chewed on his lower lip in thought as he trailed off his finger. He eyed the jagged edges of the neck chassis, the broken and snapped wires that sat poking out at odd angles before his eyes quickly flickered to the one knife mark in the wall. It was now the only indication that their head had once hung there at all.

Such needless violence filled Gavin with a feeling he couldn’t quite describe. 

The fact that the killer had tried to _skin_ their victim alive, or the android equivalent of that, was enough of an indication that they wanted them to suffer. But the sheer brutality of the post-mortem wounds showed nothing but a pure, undiluted hatred. 

_A hatred towards this poor fuck in particular or just deviant androids?_

No fucking wonder androids were afraid. If the killer were after humans, Gavin would be fucking petrified. 

His mind wondered and that fear stayed sitting in his stomach. Nines could so easily end up on the wrong side of a fucking crime scene and yeah, call him selfish, but Gavin was fucking grateful Nines had chosen to work at the DPD. He could have ended up working with New Jericho which could have so easily happened given Connor’s connections with Markus. And for the first time in his life, Gavin was truly fucking grateful.

He stood with a grunt, stretching the muscles in his legs and giving them a quick shake to ease the discomfort that had managed to settle in them from being crouched just that little bit too long. He pocketed the pad in his jacket before he lifted his arms over his head and stretched, giving another grunt as he felt his back pop. And fuck, he definitely wasn’t getting any younger. 

“You come up with anythin’?” Gavin asked as he swung his arms back down.

Nines was still standing, analysing the message on the wall, but he managed to give his partner a subtle shake of his head and Gavin moved over to stand beside him.

Another line of programing code had been left and he couldn’t help but wonder why the killer had decided to just now start leaving garbled lines of code again. 

**I’M HERE** **_  
_** **_W &%9]{}r^$)W<>N$%^()//c))^nN&[w]_ **

It was a declaration, that much was clear. 

The rooster head towered next to the message, its neck curling around the text on the left hand side. It was a lot cleaner than the first piece of code that was left and Gavin thought it felt _different_. There was a niggling feeling in his gut that told him that it was. 

Overall, this crime scene was a lot neater, bar for the mess in the kitchen where the killer obviously went to find their weapon of choice. Gavin’s eyes lingered over the beginning of the message, ‘I’M HERE’, and he couldn’t help but feel like it was a statement of coming. 

The first message that had been left felt like it was garbled and painful; almost like a momentary admission of someone trying to enter a physical space, the violence that surrounded the scene furthered that feeling. This crime scene felt much more realised in a sense, like whoever the killer was had finally _found_ themselves. 

“I don’t phckin’ know about you, Nines, but doesn’t this feel a little...” Gavin trailed off and his words finally roused his partner from his thoughts to which Nines properly took stock of the man beside him. “I don’t know, this just feels different. I’m not even sure how to explain it.”

With a furrow in his brow, Gavin only paused to glance around the space in which they were standing before adding, “ _‘Im here’_ ... what the _phuck_ do you think that means? A taunt? Like ‘come find me’ or some shit? Or is the killer actually saying they’re finally here? Like, _here_ here, y’know? In the world kinda thing?”

Gavin stopped his out loud thought pattern rambling in favour of chewing at his bottom lip in thought again. He fucking knew he was rambling, but he couldn’t help it. Besides, when he rambled, he tended to spew out any old bullshit. But the fact that Nines hadn’t interjected reassured him that perhaps his ramblings were of some correlation to the case and likely, his partner’s’ thought processes too.

“There is a possibility that it could mean either of those things.” Nines stated plainly in answer.

The man couldn’t help but laugh at such a bland, if not a little diplomatic answer and his partner seemed to soften himself at the sound. “I do not mean that negatively.” Nines clarified.

“You’re full of shit sometimes, y’know that?” Gavin teased. 

“As are you.” Nines retorted without any bite.

Gavin knew that his partner was just being polite, but he had a point. He bit on his lip as he shot Nines a sly look out of the corner of his eye. The playful twinkle in his partner’s eyes that he got in return had a rough chuckle leaving Gavin’s lips that he couldn’t help but allow to escape.

“And that’s why you love me.” Gavin said softly, in an almost sing-song voice as he bumped his shoulder against Nines’. Crossing his arms over his chest, the detective let out a sigh as he reigned himself in and calmed down. “Nah, you’re right though, we can’t start jumping to conclusions too quickly.”

They still didn’t have a massive amount of evidence to go off of and that always led to drawing up conclusions without any true facts backing them. It was a bad habit that lingered in many cops. They had no witnesses, nothing physical besides the bodies of the victims. It was always dangerous to lean too heavily into assumptions based on such little fact in any type of case, however, if kept in check? They could be a relatively good springboard. 

“So, the line of programming code? Nothing?”

Nines shook his head and Gavin missed the ever so subtle glazed and distant look that lingered in his partner’s eyes. It mimicked the look Simon had given him when he too saw the code. 

Gavin grunted in response as he fished his phone from his pocket to open the camera so he could carefully take a photo of the line of code. He knew that there would be countless pictures included in all the evidence that they would take back to the station, but there was just something about it he couldn’t quite shake. Anything that caused that feeling in him, he always made sure to focus on, because it hadn’t steered him wrong in the past. 

He stared at the photo on the screen for just a moment, his gaze hardening before he locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. The two of them stood there, bathed in a soft blue light as the message almost tauntingly glowed opposite them. 

It acted as a reminder of the enormity of the task at hand and Gavin couldn’t help but find the neon blue glow hauntingly beautiful. It filled him with a strange sense of remorse, if only it was not connected with something so horrific. 

“You think this is gonna get worse before it gets better?” Gavin asked in a somber voice. “I don’t know about you, Nines, but fuck, I’ve… I’ve never seen _anything_ like this.” The admission made something lift from his shoulders; he’d been skirting around the issue but it was true, all his years on the force, Gavin hadn’t. 

He couldn’t help the daunting feeling that settled in his bones. Just one more case and he got landed with the case from hell. It was as if the universe knew he deserved nothing easy to prove his redemption, a literal baptism of fire and Gavin just prayed that he wasn’t going to burn.

Just one more case and he’d be able to settle back into the life that he and Nines deserved. That he’d finally reach that point where he felt that he’d be good enough and feel worthy enough of spending the rest of his life with someone like Nines even though his boyfriend had told him countless times before that he _already_ was-

“Fuck, Nines, it’s phckin’ clear the killer is escalating. _Is this gonna get worse before it gets better?”_ Gavin couldn’t help the hard edge that settled in his voice as he repeated his earlier question. The thoughts swirling in his head set him just that little bit on edge. He was getting agitated.

Nines seemed to pick up on the sudden shift in his partner’s mood and turned to face him. He knew the man needed reassurance, the tone in which Gavin spoke was unmissable and he knew all too well where it could lead; that he could so easily get consumed by it all and spiral out of control.

“We both know that it is highly likely.” He paused, LED cycling as he watched Gavin shoot him an almost pleading look as he took just an extra moment to form his next set of words. “But we have been given this case for a reason, Gavin.” He paused again. There was no one else around so Nines visibly relaxed, just a fraction. “We can solve this, my love.”

There it was.

Exactly what Gavin needed to hear. 

Nines rarely used affectionate terms and that rarity slimmed into nothing when they were out in the field together, so Gavin knew Nines was serious. It made Gavin stop in his tracks and breathe. He hadn’t addressed Gavin as his colleague, but as his boyfriend. It immediately managed to focus the man, acting as a lightning rod he could use to channel his nerves and thoughts towards, making him instantly begin to relax.

He shot Nines a small smile of thanks, _thanks, big guy_ , to his partner who carefully smiled back. 

“Shall we speak with the spouse?” His voice was cool but Gavin picked up on the softness that was underneath. 

He gave his partner a tired nod, peeling off his blue evidence gloves, turning them inside out in the process before hastily shoving them into his jacket pocket. He then followed Nines out of the apartment and they weaved their way through forensic techs that were making their way back towards the crime scene. 

Gavin noticed that Andrew wasn’t there; it was probably nothing, perhaps the guy had the day off, but he still made a mental note to catch up with Nines regarding the man when they were back at the station and away from prying ears.

The sunlight that flooded Gavin’s vision as they made their way out of the apartment building made his eyes sting. Being holed up in the dimness of the crime scene had momentarily made him forget it was actually two in the afternoon. 

The complex was situated in the old University District; it had been wealthy when Gavin was growing up and it was even more so now and fuck, Gavin couldn’t stand places like this. Wealth and the attitude that more often than not came with it always made him want to fucking punch something.

The surrounding street had been cordoned off and the space in front complex was dotted with various emergency vehicles. Bar a few officers that were standing guard around the perimeter to keep the press at bay, nearly everyone else had gone back inside the building. 

The android’s spouse was holed up in the back of a police cruiser on the opposite side of the street. His name was Michael, he worked as a doctor at one of Detroit’s hospitals and had been on call when his husband had been murdered. When he had received the call, he had promptly dropped everything and came as quickly as he could.

There was a slight chill in the October air and Gavin pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he and Nines lingered for a moment just outside the entrance. He felt Nines at his side, could practically feel his partner’s eyes watching him coolly, interest no doubt sparkling within them and Gavin instantly snapped his head towards him. 

There was already an irritated frown on his features as he studied his partner for a moment; the twinkle in Nines’ eyes made Gavin shoot him a finger before he crossed his arms over his chest with a huff as he shook his head. They both knew how Gavin got when he was cold.

“You _know_ we’re at work and as much as I phckin’ want to, I can’t. So stop being a fuckin’ tease, Nines, it isn’t fair. _You really are full of shit_.” His eyes flickered momentarily in his direction as a grin tugged at his mouth. “Come on, let’s go speak with this poor fuck and get it over with.” Gavin gathered himself and slowly made his way towards the cruiser, feeling Nines promptly fall in line beside him as he moved.   
  
The closer they got, they could both see that the guy looked fucking exhausted. He was nursing a cup of coffee, with a blanket draped sadly around his shoulders as he was sat hunched in the backseat. Michael didn’t even acknowledge them as they came to stand in front of him and Gavin couldn’t help but feel like this was probably the worst time to talk to the man, but he knew that their job never allowed them to wait for anyone.

He eyed the empty styrofoam cup the guy had gripped between his hands and he seemed to be clinging onto like a lifeline. There was something raw and honest in the way the man was sitting that it touched something in Gavin he didn’t know was there. “Hey, you want some more coffee?” He was surprised by how gentle his voice sounded given how he’d rather be anywhere else right now than dealing with this.

That seemed to snap the man out of whatever thought he was currently lost in. He tilted his head up at the two of them, his blue eyes twinkling as he took stock of Gavin and Nines waiting patiently in front of him. 

Gavin shot the guy an understanding smile, “Michael, right?” He was trying to get the guy to open up.

The man nodded quickly before he swiftly crushed the cup between his hands with a sigh. “Nah, thanks, I’m good.” He looked tired and sad but the hardness in his voice told them he didn’t want faked sympathies and Gavin respected the hell out of that, because he was exactly the same. 

Michael flung the cup behind him before he settled himself, he gripped tighter at the blanket at his shoulders and Gavin got the distinct feeling that the man couldn’t decide whether he wanted to pull it off completely or wrap himself further in it. After a moment he dropped his hands into his lap, an almost defeated sigh escaping his lips. 

He looked back up at them, Gavin didn’t offer him a smile this time and Nines remained silent as well. A determined expression settled on Michael’s face.

“Nobody has told me anything too specific but... it’s the rooster killer, isn’t it?”

There was no point in lying to the man. Nines nodded his head and Michael swallowed down his emotions but a sad look of acceptance still crossed his face. Gavin could see the tears pricking at the corner of the man’s eyes but they never fell. Stronger than he could have ever been, if he got put in this guy’s situation.

“Your husband, he wasn’t involved in anything _illegal_ that might have caused him to become a target?” Nines asked.  
  
The bluntness of the question made Michael look up and study Nines for a moment. He took note of the cool expression on the android’s face, the way his brow pulled his face down into permanent disinterest. 

He eyed Nines’ white CyberLife jacket, recognised the 900 emblazoned on the front and quickly swallowed down his irritation. He had heard the stories from James, the RK brothers had become fabled within New Jericho, thanks to Connor’s role in the revolution and for their subsequent work alongside the DPD. 

In the nicest possible way, Michael hoped he’d never have to meet any of them, but he knew the world worked in cruel ways. He focused on a spot on the ground by their feet for a moment before he shook his head. Gavin knew Nines was being logical; this was the first victim where they had a next of kin they could actually question, so they needed to rule out any other connecting factors. 

“He didn’t have any friends or acquaintances at work that seemed a little… off? To you?” Gavin this time.

Michael gave another shake of his head and Gavin crossed his arms against himself in irritation but was careful to keep the look off his face. _They really had nothing else to go on_. Nothing else to link the victims, nothing else they could try and use to get a handle on things and maybe start predicting the killer’s movements. _Fuckin’ shit._

“It’s true then, what the press have been saying? About this killer just going after deviants, that _no_ deviant is safe?” Michael said in a somber tone. 

The press really did have a field day when they broke the news. The DPD had been trying to play at damage control ever since but nothing had worked. What today’s headlines would be now there had been another murder was anyone’s guess. 

That was something that pissed Gavin off to no end. The press loved to twist facts until they were basically of scare-mongering. They were saying no deviant is safe when so far, the only deviants that are in danger were the ones that work for New Jericho.

“We’re doing all we can.”

It was the DPD default answer, the answer given when you couldn’t say anything else, either because anything else was too sensitive or you legitimately had nothing else to say. It was a bullshit statement and it made something sour settle in Gavin’s gut because he hated saying it, _but he couldn’t say anything else._ The look Michael gave him indicated that he also knew that his statement was just that, fucking bullshit.

Gavin felt Nines give a curt nod next to him. “We apologise for taking up your time, please, if you think of anything, anything at all, please notify either myself or Detective Reed.” His partner was right, they had nothing left to talk about. They couldn’t discuss anything relating to the murders outright and since the husband hadn’t offered anything new, it was time to leave. 

They were just about to turn and make their way back to their car when Michael stood suddenly and grabbed onto Gavin’s arm. 

Nines shot his partner a look to which the man gave him a look of reassurance, a silent ‘it’s okay’, that made the android nod at him before he turned on his heel and made his way towards the car. Michael watched him leave and only when the two of them were alone did he finally speak.

“You and RK900, you’re together, aren’t you?” The man asked in a quiet tone. 

The detective couldn’t help but tense up, he knew it was stupid but some small part of his brain still couldn’t quite shake the feeling that insults were always going to follow such questions. Gavin eyed the LED that hung around the man’s neck, the wedding band on his finger and yep, he was definitely being fucking stupid. He forced himself to push down the discomfort and gave the man a quick nod. 

“I only ask because I couldn’t help but notice your tattoo when you were talking earlier.” Michael clarified.   
  
Gavin quickly looked down at his chest and sure enough, the start of the small ‘900’ was poking out from under his shirt; he usually made sure to keep it covered the best he could when he was at work. He had gotten it a few months before all this shit had started, had gotten it to cover up an old bullet wound he got from getting shot by a deviant android back before the revolution started. 

_Back when he hated androids._

It had served as a bitter reminder of his past and Gavin had finally decided to cover it with something that now meant something to him. 900. Nines. So every time he looked at it, he was now reminded of what was truly important. Of how much Nines meant to him, of how much he loved him. Not only that, the day he’d gotten it was the same day he finally decided without a shadow of a doubt that he was going to spend the rest of his life with Nines. 

He hadn’t started looking at engagement rings yet, but he had let Tina in on his plans and to say she was ecstatic was a fucking understatement. It was kind of a small miracle she hadn’t let his secret slip, she was terrible at keeping them but she was his best friend, so she sort of had to keep her damn mouth shut.

“Yeah, we’re together.” Gavin answered in a hushed voice.

A sad look crossed Michael’s face as he let go of the detective’s arm. 

“I just…” The man trailed off before he steeled himself and looked Gavin square in the eye. “Don’t take your time together for granted.” Gavin blinked in stunned silence as the statement caught him off guard, it took him a moment before he nodded numbly in thanks and Michael shot him a sad smile. 

The man finally settled back into the cruiser and Gavin slowly made his way back towards where Nines was waiting in their car. He opened the door, slid in, closed the door and gripped at the steering wheel with a strange sense of disbelief in his gut. 

“I have been informed that all appropriate and relevant information has already been forwarded to our servers back at the station. We may leave whenever you are ready.” Nines’ stoic tone filled the small confines of the car. When his partner didn’t answer him after a few seconds, he turned to face him, LED spinning yellow in worry. 

“Are you okay?”  
  
Gavin blinked, roused himself from his thoughts and met Nines’ worried gaze. 

“I… yeah, big guy, I’m fine... thinkin’, y’know?” He said as he shot his partner a grin that was that little bit too fake and Nines immediately caught onto it.

“What’s the matter?” His voice was that bit softer, showing Gavin the concern that was evident to him, but other people likely wouldn’t be able to catch onto. The thought might have tugged at his heart just a little bit too much with everything considered and Gavin let his facade drop, just slightly.

“Just know that I love you, okay?” The sincerity in Gavin’s voice had Nines smiling. The man eyed his smile and couldn’t help the sly chuckle that escaped his lips as he leaned forward, hooking a gentle hand into his boyfriend’s jacket, pulling him in close for a kiss.  
  
Nines’ huffed out a laugh against Gavin’s lips, the two exchanging tentative kisses for a few moments before the man pulled back, the shit-eating grin on his face was teasing and he bit his lip.

“I know we’re on the clock but I couldn’t help myself. So phckin’ sue me, okay?” He turned his attention back to the road, gripped at the steering wheel as he turned the key in the ignition. “On second thoughts, please don’t sue me... you _know_ I’m poor as shit. How about I make it up to you tonight, huh?” Gavin let the engine idle for just a moment as he looked at Nines out of the corner of his eye one last time. 

He saw that teasing almost hard glint in his partner’s eye and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“That would be acceptable.”  
  
“ _Acceptable._ Fuckin’ shit.”

Gavin barked out a laugh and shook his head as he finally pulled away, slowing as he made his way through the barricade and drove away from the crime scene. The further away they drove, the more the tension in his muscles seemed to loosen out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter everyone!
> 
> We also hope you're all staying safe in these unsure and strange times, much love to you all <3


	5. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin should really become a dream interpreter.

Just as with the invention of the atomic bomb, the moon landings, the civil rights movement, 9/11 - the android revolution would go down in history as one of those moments that changed everything, that would shape things for years to come.

Good or bad; each one had been an epicenter, casting out ripples that shook established norms to their very core. They splintered and fractured society; for every issue they represented, something that challenged them formed. The moon landings garnered conspiracy theories and theorists, the civil rights movement cemented white supremacy and the KKK, 9/11 forced the world to deal with the rise of modern terrorism and all of its fallout and casualties.

A year and a half ago, the android revolution had been peaceful. 

Markus had been steadfast in his quest at bringing about equal rights for androids without violence. It hadn’t been easy, there were times he had wanted nothing more than to pick up a gun, smash windows and burn property. To retaliate against humankind that had killed countless members of his people. 

_But an eye for an eye and the world goes blind_. 

During those times, he had to remember that a handful of humans and their bigotry were not representative of the whole picture but above all that, he remembered Carl. He was glad his mentor’s words managed to act as a taper because it meant that he was able to strive towards peace. 

After the revolution, Markus quickly established New Jericho and worked together with President Warren and the government to further android interests and rights in a way that was cooperative and inclusive from all sides.

But even the most peaceful of efforts were met with hostilities. That was simply how the world worked.

Humans who were too used to seeing androids as subservient. Humans who were prejudiced and racist. They used this as the perfect excuse to form yet another hate group. It was sadly inevitable. There were many smaller groups at first, but one had sprung up that would quickly eclipse all that came before it. It grew, rapidly becoming the one that acted as the spearhead for all anti-android sentiment.  
  
Humanity!First or H!First became just as fabled as the android revolution itself. 

No one knew where the group had come from, it had practically formed overnight. It was something that existed in the shadows, something that people didn’t want to formally acknowledge but everyone knew existed because acknowledging it officially meant that it would no longer be something that people could just ignore and pretend wasn’t there. 

They held their meetings in secret, targeting the most vulnerable and easily manipulated. They lurked in almost every aspect of life, they had members everywhere and recruited ruthlessly. Even if someone didn’t overtly hate androids, as long as the seeds were there, they would sink in their hooks and be relentless in their brainwashing, fanning the flames of hatred until they grew into a fire only they could control. 

Adults, children, teenagers - age didn’t matter. Well, it did, sort of. Just as so you physically aged, you could be recruited.  
  
Andrew had lived through the android revolution and at the time he had been particularly indifferent. He had been twenty-nine going on thirty, had loving parents and had done well in school. He had gotten a job in the DPD as a forensic tech, but he always largely kept to himself. He didn’t have many friends and largely felt like an outsider. 

All it took was an evening visit to a website, not long after the revolution, and from that moment on, Andrew was theirs. H!First took his indifference and molded it into hatred. It was because of androids that everything bad had happened in his life. That promotion to head tech that he didn’t get at work? The reason why no one liked him? 

Once they had their claws in him, it was easy to twist his insecurities, shaping them and giving him something to focus them towards. From that manipulation, Andrew felt like he had finally found a family that mattered. He had a place within the organisation; when he spoke, people listened. He was never chastised for coming to them with ideas and the ideas he bought to them, they actually used. 

There had been a particularly brutal attack on an all-android apartment complex that was in the outskirts of the city about eight months ago. Two bombs had been planted, one in the lobby and one near the main gas supply to the building. The death toll and casualties had been extensive, H!First never claimed responsibility, but they didn’t have to.

The bombs had been Andrew’s suggestion. 

It had been such a blatant act of targetted terrorism but the goverment still chose to not formally acknowledge H!First as anything but a rumour. Because of that, it took months for the wounds in the relationship between the still largely human congress and New Jericho to heal. 

Before the killings had started in Detroit, New Jericho had been mere weeks away from bringing a bill to the House of Representatives that set out the case with concrete evidence that H!First should be officially categorised as a terrorist hate group. But once the police had gotten into contact with New Jericho about the killings, that had quickly got put on hold. 

It was almost as if the universe had a sick sense of humour and was stacking things in their favour. The killings were also just what H!First had been after. 

_An excuse_.

After the bombings, their activities fell back to a smaller scale and the killings had come along at just the right time. The killer didn’t seem to be targeting humans and through Andrew, they learned that the killer was likely an android. What a twisted sense of irony that was and oh how they were the perfect cover. He wasn’t the only member of H!First on the force, but Andrew was the one with direct access to the crime scenes. 

The killings meant they’d be able to start something on a larger scale again.  
  
Copycat killings. Which meant they could ride under the radar.

Andrew had seen the carnage of the murders first hand. Even though the killer were an android, he had developed a strange sense of admiration for them. Doing what should have been done long ago if people weren’t such cowards. The victims were all deviant androids, all killed in the same way which meant piggybacking off the havoc would be simple and easy.

H!First used the ideas brought forth by members about hits and various other plans as a means of promoting members into the various ranks of the organisation. Andrew’s attack on the apartment complex had been his means of stepping up from his initiate rank. The copycat killings had been his suggestion when the rooster killings had first started. Anything to further himself with the organisation.

It had been decided that they’d continue to target New Jericho members - one night’s inconspicuous cyber attack had split New Jericho’s confidential information wide open. H!First had access to member information - names, addresses, contact details - which meant that all they had to do was decide when they wanted to start.

Perhaps if those in charge of New Jericho knew where to look, they would have seen the signs, would have alerted the police. But luckily for H!First, they hadn’t. Not that would have helped them with the case anyway, it would have just furthered their tail chasing. Anyone could be the rooster killer but it's not like they knew this anyway. 

That’s how Andrew found himself sitting alone in his apartment on his day off, planning right down to the last detail. An untraceable gun and the exact same type of bullets had been easy enough to come by and he sat cleaning the firearm at his kitchen table. 

It had been agreed which deviant to target and the information that Andrew had been discreetly syphoning away for weeks would allow him to replicate the murders down to the smallest detail.

He’d practiced and practiced the drawing of the rooster head that had been left at the last crime scene and Andrew was confident he’d be able to reproduce that perfectly as well. If he couldn’t, well, he did have a back-up plan. After all, Andrew wasn’t stupid. Plus there was a lot on the line if he were to fail, he’d let down his branch and he’d lose his rank. 

H!First, while welcoming to an extent, didn’t take kindly to failure. 

Andrew carefully placed the pistol back down on the table, his kitchen was as sparsely decorated as the rest of his apartment, so much so, it could have easily been mistaken for one of those showroom apartments. It was devoid of any personality, too clean and too organised, like it was hiding something ugly underneath; much like the man living in it. 

His eyes flickered up to the analogue clock that was hung up on the wall by his stove. Three in the afternoon. He still had hours before it was night and he could actually leave. The minute hand ticked so slowly around, it made a giddy anticipation settle quickly in his gut. It crept along his veins, itching under his skin and filled him with an energy that just begged to be released. 

Andrew rested his elbows on the table, clasped his gloved hands together and rested his chin on them. His leg started bouncing under the table and his thoughts drifted. 

Bullet holes, dead eyes and blue blood filled his mind. That killer was meticulous and calculated; a machine designed to murder and eliminate down to the smallest decimal. But the violence Andrew had seen; the android that had been mutilated beyond all recognition, the messages, _the rooster killer_ \- now that was someone he wanted to know. He admired them and maybe once he started his own journey, he’d get to cross paths with them. 

His thoughts got swept up in the sheer violence of the killer’s existence and he felt lust slowly coil itself in the pit of his stomach. His leg started to bounce quicker and that lust didn’t disappear but _grew_. 

Andrew closed his eyes and imagined strong hands ripping and tearing, killing, killing, killing and that lust crept electric under his skin. He chewed at the inside of his cheek, his leg bounced harder and he blinked his eyes open. He was hard in his jeans and he hissed out a breath as his erection rubbed against the rough denim as he rearranged himself in the kitchen chair. 

Andrew pushed himself up from the table. He stalked through his apartment, towards his bedroom; he had a folder of pictures from the various rooster killer crime scenes on his computer that he could use; that he could jerk himself off to and no one needed to know.

It took him mere minutes to sit down at his desk by the foot of his bed. Another minute to boot up his computer and find the folder. The neon blue filled his vision and, seeing the mangled bodies made his cock twitch and his body ache with a heady expectation. 

Andrew unbuttoned his jeans, unzipped his fly and slipped a hand down underneath the waistband of his boxers.  
  
He had hours to kill and well… no one needed to know. 

****

Gavin and Nines were finally back at the precinct.

They had stopped for lunch, or more specifically, Gavin had stopped for lunch before they had gone back to the station. He had practically begged Nines to let them stop and get something to eat and all it had taken was one look from Gavin, the man giving his best puppy-dog eyes and his stoic tank of a partner had crumbled in seconds flat. 

If Gavin had free reign on his diet, and if he were slightly more stupid, he’d happily live off nothing but coffee and Chinese food for the rest of his life. He had joked about that with Nines early on in their relationship once and had caused the android such dismay that he actually had to promise Nines that he _wasn’t going to do that._ Gavin had to prove right there and then that since getting together, he’d actively been eating healthier and trying to take care of himself. Fuck, he’d even signed up to going back to the gym rather than just taking a jog around the block to blow off steam.

So Gavin took care of himself, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his off days. 

He had once eaten three day old takeout for breakfast much to Nines’ protest and since he miraculously hadn’t gotten food poisoning, Gavin had joked that he had an iron stomach and should be allowed to eat anything. The burger he had for lunch was no three day old takeout but Gavin figured it would do. 

The first few hours since returning to the station, the two of them had actually focused. All the information that had been sent to them from the latest crime scene, Gavin had also pinned up on their boards that had been set up.

Another coloured pin in the map they had set up of the city and surrounding areas, more pictures of the killings and the victims. 

Next to the headless corpse of the latest victim, Gavin had scrawled the word “ESCALATION?” in big and messy red marker. 

He had placed the pictures of the two pieces of code that had so far been left by the rooster killer side by side. It was seemingly nonsense at this point but Gavin couldn’t shake the feeling in his gut that they were connected and that it _meant_ something. 

He had stared at the photos for hours, had squeezed so much at his stress ball in the process, getting angrier and angrier over the fact that he couldn’t make heads or tails of the coding, yet he was so _sure_ something was there. 

After the fifth hour, Tina had sent in Nines with a cup of coffee and Nines had all but dragged an extremely irritated Gavin out from the room they were occupying with their murder-boards and into the bullpen, all but forcing the man to sit down and calm himself at his desk.

So that’s where Gavin was. Currently slumped over his workstation, a pout on his face as he rested against his desk with his hands wrapped around a coffee mug, leeching on its warmth.

It was quickly coming up to the end of their shift and his focus for work, unless he was already preoccupied, tended to dwindle quite exponentially as the day neared its end. 

The coding swirled around and around in his mind. He had been unable to piece anything together and he was only growing more frustrated. The fact that the androids he was working with seemed to be coming up short too didn’t help the situation.

With a belligerent sigh, Gavin knocked back the rest of his coffee to warm up his insides, forcing himself to stop thinking about it and actually relax.

Nines was busying himself with standing over his own desk, cleaning up some old files that Gavin had less than gracefully strewn everywhere over the course of the day. He would have cleaned them up, but well, he forgot and it was obviously too fucking late now. Sure, he could help but he wasn’t in that type of mood either. 

He eyed his partner’s backside as he bent over.

He was in _that_ type of mood and Gavin couldn’t help the small smirk on his lips as he watched. Getting horny over your boyfriend was just the distraction he needed and besides, horny Gavin was miles better than irritated and annoyed Gavin, so he was honestly doing everyone who was still at work a favour. 

He put his mug down and pushed himself up from his desk. 

Gavin glanced over in Nines’ direction before he slowly sauntered over to his partner, grateful that the precinct was pretty bare bones this particular evening. Not that it would have stopped him anyway, nothing did usually whenever he set his mind on something. That and he didn’t really care what people thought of him, they could go fuck themselves. The detective pressed up behind Nines, standing on his tiptoes as he nuzzled his face against the back of his partner’s neck.

“Gavin.” Nines’ soft voice filled his ears and he couldn’t help but grin.  
  
“Hey, big guy.” Gavin whispered shyly in return.

He began to kiss at the back of Nines’ neck, his hands finding their way around to the android’s front and he fiddled at the fabric of his boyfriends’ button down shirt where it was tucked into his pants.

_“Gavin.”_

There was that pretty voice again, but with a hint of a warning in it this time. It made the lust that was already present curl tighter around Gavin’s gut and it only spurred him on harder. Fucking Nines knew exactly what he was doing and the man couldn’t help but smile against the android’s neck. 

He was torn. 

He really wanted Nines to press him up against the nearest wall, kiss him senseless before they moved into the precinct’s bathroom. Gavin had never dropped to his knees before in a public restroom and had secretly always wanted to, the thrill at being caught had always turned him on in just the right way. But he also wanted to press his boyfriends buttons and make Nines lose his composure. Just once. He loved his boyfriend’s stoic restraint, don’t get him wrong, but Gavin so desperately wanted Nines to crumble in public; to show those sides of himself he only ever showed to Gavin at home. 

He wanted the world to see what he saw; all the emotions, the warmth, the attentiveness. Plus when Nines got all domineering and protective during sex, it kinda turned him on more than he cared to admit. Wow, nearly everything about Nines turned him on, who knew?

“You do realise we’re at work, correct?”

“Uh huh…”  
  
Gavin nodded, huffing out a light laugh against where he had taken up kissing at the back of Nines’ neck softly. His eyes drifted and he looked down; the nanites in Nines’ flesh shimmered and danced beneath his touch but he still hadn’t retracted the skin. Since the white plastimetal wasn’t on display, Gavin knew Nines was still grasping onto what little control he had left.  
  
_Fuckin’ tease._ _  
_ _  
_ He smirked, pressing another kiss to the back of his partner’s neck as his hands untucked the front of Nines’ shirt. Gavin slid his hands slowly beneath it to press the flat of his palms against Nines’ lower stomach. _Fuck_ , he was always so warm. 

The way the warmth tingled and curled up and around his hands almost made Gavin melt against the strong body he was draped over as he started to feel his tiredness mingle with the lust still heavy in his stomach. He stifled a yawn and felt Nines chuckle ever so slightly underneath him, Gavin huffed out another laugh. _Fucker._ His partner knew exactly what he was doing.

The more he touched and kissed at his partner, the more Gavin wanted Nines to just drag his ass to their car so they could go home and get some… _privacy._ He knew he wasn’t going to get any action in the precinct, so at this point, Gavin would just take going home and getting railed against the first available surface. Yeah, he definitely wasn’t focusing on work anymore, the murders had long since disappeared from his head but to be fair, there was only twenty minutes left on both of their shifts.

“C’mooon, big guy,” Gavin started, the whine unmistakable in his voice, “We’ve only got twenty minutes left.... We can leave _early_ , no one will care. Plus, it’s been a long phckin’ day.” He ended his sentence with a playful nip at Nines’ neck with his teeth. The nanites danced underneath his lips but Nines _still_ didn’t let his chassis show. 

_Niiiiiines, you phckin’ tease, piece of shit! C’mon!_

That didn’t fucking work. Gavin wasn’t about to beg but he might start to plead. Which, by his standards, were two very different things.

Nines’ hands came to gently grip Gavin’s wrists, stopping the man from where he was about to slide his hands a little lower. “And those twenty minutes will be spent by me tidying up the mess that _you_ have made. You have brought this on yourself, Gavin.” His voice was still as composed as ever, but Gavin caught the sly teasing. He had tried to hide it underneath a disgruntled tone but the man knew his boyfriend.

The two of them were dancing back and forth but neither wanted to be the first to crumble and admit defeat. Of course Nines found a way to twist this around but Gavin wasn’t about to back down and give his partner the satisfaction. He knew he’d never live it down when they actually got back to their apartment; Nines would sit there with their fucking cat on their stupid couch as smug as ever over the fact that Gavin gave in so easy.

“No _fuckin’_ fair.” Gavin pouted, slumping into Nines’ body as he whined. If anyone were to ask, obviously he’d deny it in a heartbeat. He hadn’t even done anything yet besides get distracted by his partner’s ass and it was almost like Nines wanted him to turn into a whiny little baby. 

So Nines had backed him into a no-win situation, the sly fucker. 

Gavin knew the moment he resorted to whining about anything, which was a surprisingly fair amount, Nines immediately rubbed his face in it. He had Gavin wrapped around his little finger and the man _loved_ it. They were never cruel to each other but gave as good as they got. 

Gavin knew he could be a fucking ass over almost everything and he was glad that Nines matched it as a counterpart, called it out and didn’t let it slide; sometimes it strayed into flirting and Gavin was fucking glad that now was one of those times. 

Nines kept a hold of his wrists for a few moments, keeping his hands from straying lower. That still present warmth curled up and around his hands even further and he positively grinned against his boyfriends neck. Gavin knew Nines felt it because he felt the android chuckle slightly again.

“Are you going to behave if I let go?”

 _Fucking no._ _  
_ _  
_ “Yep.” Gavin popped the ‘p’, a cheeky glint in his eye that if Nines would have seen, he would have known better than to trust. 

They both knew what they were doing. That tone that Nines was using, he only used that voice when he wanted to wind Gavin up and fuck if it didn’t work a charm every damn time. And Gavin knew exactly how to push Nines’ buttons; he knew the words to say and the touches to use to get his stoic tank of a boyfriend to melt underneath him, to lose control in the best way. 

Nines finally let go of his wrists, returning to his earlier task and continued to put all of the files back in their corresponding manila folders. He knew Gavin’s statement at behaving was a lie, so he didn’t give the man the satisfaction of turning to look at him as he went about cleaning. 

He didn’t particularly enjoy old files that hadn’t been transferred into the DPD systems yet, there was something about technology being far easier to sift through, but Nines wasn’t about to let his displeasure show. The playful want to make his boyfriend squirm and turn himself inside out as the lust and need crept under his skin was too strong to ignore. Two could play at this game and Nines wasn’t going to back down.

Somewhere deep in Gavin, he knew that Nines wasn’t going to budge until the files were packed away and put back in their respective places in the archive room. If he just helped, things would go quicker which meant the quicker they could leave. First, that was no fucking fun and second, well, that was no fuckin’ fun. Plus he’d lose this little game they were playing and he’d never hear the end of it. 

He was still clinging to Nines’ back as he moved one of his hands, Gavin using it to gently pull the collar of Nines’ shirt down just enough so he could begin kissing at the base of Nines’ neck. He knew for a fact just how sensitive that one particular spot was, something about fragile ports and wires beneath his chassis or some shit. 

If Nines was going to be a fucking tease, so could he. His boyfriend’s fabricated muscles tensed the tiniest amount and Gavin could feel it from where his other hand was still resting on his partner’s stomach. 

A small action, but he was still counting it as a fuckin’ win. “What’s the matter there, Nines, hm?” Gavin murmured cheekily. 

He planted a few more kisses against that spot, only pulling away enough to marvel and watch as the nanites that made up Nines’ skin retract where he had been kissing. The sleek white of his partner’s chassis finally shining through. _Finally, we’re getting somewhere._

His master plan was working, albeit slowly. 

A year ago, if Gavin had seen an android’s framework, he’d have been horrified. But Nines had forced him to change and confront his bigotry, helping to teach him a lot of things in the process. 

The first time he watched Nines retract his skin, truly watched the way he made it shimmer and dance as he did it, it was stunning. Plus the sheer trust Nines placed in him, baring all and putting it on display, it had made a funny feeling sit in Gavin’s chest. It even did now as he thought back on it. It filled him with a giddy sense of pride; it was something only _he_ ever got to see. The stoic tank was only ever that soft for _him._

Nines let himself lose control under his touch and that thought filled Gavin with a smug sense of satisfaction that went straight to his cock. He felt like he was starting to win their silent little game.

“This is not behaving, Gavin.” Nines said, his cool tone had an ever so subtle honeyed edge to it and the man knew he was teasing. 

“Please, big guy, this mess will still be here tomorrow.” Gavin lengthened out the ‘ea’ in ‘please’ which only served to make him sound even more whiny. 

“If you keep this up, I _will_ turn off my receptors completely.” 

_Oh? So Nines is bringing out the big guns?_

“Is that a threat?” Gavin grinned, but nonetheless, he pulled away fully. 

He managed to wedge himself between Nines and his desk, so he was now standing at the android’s front. Gavin was playfully glaring up at his partner, an overly fake and sulky pout on his lips that was betrayed by the twinkle in his eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure just how much control Nines had over his receptors, but it wouldn’t be the first time his boyfriend followed through on a threat. 

“Niiiiines…” Gavin whined again as he gave Nines his biggest puppy eyes, which every time up until now, had worked a treat and had his partner melting in seconds flat. It got him every. Single. Time. 

They were both winding each other up, teasing in the best way to try and get the other to crumble and give in first. If neither of them were genuinely not in the mood, then they would outright express it and it would immediately get dropped. But now? They both welcomed the distraction. Nines was being stubborn, just to push Gavin’s buttons. Just like how Gavin was being as whiny as possible to push his. 

“If you put the rest of these files back away _and_ neaten up your desk, we can leave five minutes early.” Nines said, a carefully neutral expression on his face.

The two of them held each other's gaze for a moment before Gavin finally relented. “Oh, come on! Five minutes?!” He sulked, sounding like a child as his fake pout quickly became a real one. 

“But-”

“No ‘but’s, Gavin... We can always leave later, it’s up to you.”

“ _I fuckin’ hate you._ ”

And just like that, Nines had won.

The cleaning lasted all of ten minutes and the whole process was like trying to get blood from a stone. Gavin whined the whole time, begging Nines to let them go home early but the android stood fast. 

He watched with a ever so slight smirk as Gavin started to put away the folders. He watched as the man cleaned up his desk, neatening out the little trinkets that dotted the surface as he mumbled angrily under his breath. Gavin even put his mug back in the breakroom unprompted; shooting him a glare as he stalked off.

As soon as he stepped back around the corner and into the bullpen, Gavin was surprised to find Nines ready and waiting by his desk with his car keys. His mood quickly tapered out and he smiled tiredly at his partner as he made his way towards him.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Nines said as softly as he could manage.

Gavin bumped his right shoulder gently against his partner’s arm before he slowly threaded his own through it. They were off the clock now and fuck it, Gavin didn’t care and Nines didn’t seem to mind. He rested his body weight against Nines beside him and let the android turn and lead them both towards the underground parking garage.

“I love you.”  
  
There was a beat of silence as they left the bullpen and Gavin was sure that Nines wasn’t going to answer.

“I love you, too.” 

Gavin couldn’t help but smile to himself as he gave Nines’ arm a soft squeeze. 

_Thanks, big guy._

****

Nines roused himself from stasis. 

His internal chronometer told him that the time was 5.19 A.M, he still had an hour and eleven minutes until he should have been woken from his stasis to get ready and go to work with Gavin. He turned to his side and found the other half of the bed was empty. It was all neatly made, not even the bedsheets were out of place, which was odd considering that his boyfriend was, well, _Gavin_. Nines was the one that usually stayed on top of the chores and it was considered a small miracle if Gavin even remembered to tidy away his dirty laundry. 

The background sounds of the city that could usually be heard from the room window were absent. An eerie, almost hazy dusk-like light hung in the room and a static tinnitus-like ringing quickly filled Nines’ head, but it didn’t worry him. 

He finally rose from bed and took stock of their bedroom. Even in the strange dusklight, Nines could see it was too clean, too pristine; it was almost like he was sitting in the middle of a show apartment and not their own. 

A sudden, bright white light that appeared from under the door frame caught his attention. It was coming from the hallway beyond and he felt a strange compulsion to go to it, almost as if it called to him. Before he had the chance to change his mind, he was already up and making his way towards the door.

As Nines opened it, the static buzzing in his head only seemed to grow, but he ignored it in favour of gathering his bearings. This room didn’t lead out into his hallway, no, this was a different room entirely. For some reason it seemed strangely familiar but Nines couldn’t put his finger on why. 

A table sat directly in the center of the room and there were three arm chairs neatly behind it, the distance between each one was equal, down to the very decimal.

The bright light built until it threatened to overload his optical receptors until it suddenly stopped and cut out. For a moment everything was black, the darkness stifling, and then the next, the lights had flickered back on. Through hazy vision, Nines noticed that they first flickered to blue, then yellow, then red, then finally back to yellow again. 

There was a subtle feeling in his chest. Nines wasn’t sure what it was, but it shook at him, almost as if it were trying to get him to move away. Was he in danger? He didn’t think so. So what was it? Eventually, his eyes regained their focus. Through the yellow light that flickered and buzzed, that illuminated the dust particles that sat heavy in the air, he saw the center chair was occupied.

A man, or at least Nines thought it was a man, was sat in the chair. They were wearing washed out blue jeans and had one leg crossed over the other as they slowly leaned back, the neon-white blazer they wore amplifying the action. Nines noticed a blood-red ‘R’ emblazoned on the right breast. A bright mask covered their face, it was made up of an amalgamation of neon purple-blue coding that glitched and danced as he watched.

“Look at my face. We’ve met before, haven’t we?” They asked, the words distorted and jolted as they left their mouth.

Nines stared dumbly ahead of him and panic began to sneak up along his circuits as he realised that he _couldn’t move._ He was stuck, his feet planted firmly to the ground in the doorway and his eyes were unable to focus on anything other than the thing that sat just ahead. Nines wasn’t sure it was even a person.

 _Look at its face?_ He couldn’t due to the purple, hazy coding covering its entire head.

Nines opened his mouth, was ready to speak, ready to defend himself because he was adamant he had never met whoever or whatever was in front of him before. His memory banks had always been flawless and his ability to recall data hadn’t been compromised, but why was it covering its face when it wanted Nines to know who it was? _Did_ Nines know who it was if it were covering its face? _None of this makes any sen-_

His thoughts came to halt lightning fast, so much so if Nines were human, he was positive he’d have whiplash. The glowing code began to shift and take form, molding itself around the thing’s face. It built up into a glitching, erratic and terrifying mess, building until it finally settled and all that was left was a rooster. 

A rooster mask.

Nines’ eyes widened in horror, yet no matter how hard he willed himself to move, to turn and run, his body wouldn’t budge. He _had_ to leave, he couldn’t put himself in danger of being around the killer they were trying so hard to find, not when he had Gavin relying on him to always be there. But why was the killer here? With him? Was he going to die? End up beheaded like their latest victim? _Was this another dream?_

His thirium regulator spun so fast that he was sure that the killer could hear it. “I see that you remember now, don’t you? But you still don’t know who I am.” It’s distorted, electronic voice managing to cut through his systems with such a speed that it broke through the static in his head.

Nines squeezed his eyes shut, his red LED cutting a large swath through the flickering yellow lighting; the two of them almost twisting into a dirty orange. He hoped that when he opened them again, the rooster would be gone and he’d wake up. This was just a dream. It had to be. Another one of those ridiculous dreams that Gavin had wanted him to go to a tech and get checked out.

There was that shaking in his chest again. It morphed into an almost pushing sensation, as if someone was physically pushing at his chest to push him out of the room, but no matter how hard they shoved, Nines was stuck in place. 

Was it trying to get him to leave or was something trying to push itself free? 

He drew in fabricated breaths, trying to keep his core components and systems from overheating as his processors were being pulled in two different directions. His mind was preoccupied with the sensation raking through his body and despite the fear pulsing through his systems, Nines found himself feeling a sickening sense of curiosity; he _wanted_ to know who or what was behind the mask. 

He slowly opened his eyes again, only to be met with the lights going out, again. They turned back on, switching to red, then to blue, then red again, blue again. Then yellow. 

The figure was still there, the mask on its face was pulled into a sneer. Nines blinked and figured disappeared. He blinked again and before he knew what was happening, the figure was in front him, mere inches from his face. 

It brought up its hand, it coming to rest dangerously close to his throat and Nines could practically feel his chassis start to burn at the almost contact. He watched as the coding that made up its mask glitched and jolted, watched as the mask got pulled into a disappointed frown. The hand disappeared and it took the burning sensation with it.  
  
The figure took a step back and when Nines blinked again, it was back in the chair.

“You don’t even know who introduced us, do you?” 

Another question, another answer that Nines didn’t have. Was he supposed to? How could he know who introduced them if he didn’t even know who it was in the mask? The mask that so closely represented the roosters that had been drawn in blue blood at every crime scene he and Gavin had been visiting for the past month. With every question and every failed answer, the static ringing in his head grew, to the point where it was starting to become overwhelming. 

Nines made no attempt to open his mouth, knowing full well that nothing would come out and when he didn’t, that distorted voice filled his ears again. He heard a snarl of displeasure, at what, Nines wasn’t sure - it grated against his audio processors, amplifying the static that was bouncing around in his metal skull until-

“I think our time is up… we’ll meet again but before you go, here’s four questions to ponder.”

Finally, Nines was able to move his arms from where they had been stiffly glued to his sides. His hands came up to quickly clutch at his head, the static building and building until it was too much. It clawed at him from the inside out, forcing him to his knees and it only stopped when that angry, static laced voice took over. It was filled with such… _hatred._

“Do you like hurting other people?”

Silence. Then static. Then that voice again.

“Who is leaving the codes on the walls?”

More static. His head was going to explode.

“Where are you right now?”

Nines clawed at his hair as if somehow that would make it all stop. Thirium based tears were brimming in his eyes, they were so close to falling, but he blinked them back. He refused to allow this _thing_ to see him break. His hands fell lamely from his hair and into his lap as he looked to the figure in a sad sense of defeat, static still ringing in his head. 

It hurt and he was _tired._

The purple neon glow from the rooster mask grew, matching the static in his head. Growing until it cut through the lighting, the glare from it hurt his optical receptors in a way that it shouldn’t. The figure stood slowly, its mask glitching and dancing and Nines got the feeling he was close to finding out who it was, if he could just hang on for a moment longer-

“Final question: Why are we having this conversation?” The voice sounded so angry, every distorted word dripping with a disdain that filled Nines with an ice-cold terror. “That’s all for now.” The glare from its mask grew until it was all Nines could see. “See you soon, RK900.” The glare suddenly disappeared and Nines was finally able to see what had been under the mask. 

**It was himself.**

Before he had the chance to argue, he watched himself disappear into thin air, everything else vanishing around him and all Nines could see was darkness.

“I am not RK900!” Nines screamed, finally finding his voice. The killer had long since disappeared but since it was himself under the mask, the screaming was more so at himself than anything. 

“My name is Nines! NINES!!! _I’M NINES!!!! NIN-”_

 _“Nines?”_ Gavin asked sleepily, rousing himself from where he was snuggled up against his boyfriend’s side. 

Their work alarm hadn’t gone off yet, so he wasn’t sure what had spurred him awake in the first place. When Nines didn’t answer, a weird feeling sank in his gut. So he called his name again, propping himself up on his elbows as he gently shook the android beside him.

 _Nothing_. 

When that didn’t work, worry settled heavy into Gavin’s bones. He sat up, watching as Nines’ LED rapidly flickered between red and blue. Then it settled on yellow for a little while. Then it changed between the other colours again. Then it returned to yellow.

He called out for him to deactivate stasis. 

Nothing. 

He vainly tapped at his LED, chastising himself as he did it because he knew it wouldn’t fucking do anything, but at this point Gavin had tried everything, so he would take anything. He knew something was wrong because Nines’ LED never put on a fucking light show in their bedroom when he was stasis, it only ever sat on a dim yellow.

Even if Nines set his stasis for eight hours and it had to be cut short for whatever reason, there was never any issue with the deactivation process. An alert from the DPD, Gavin’s fucking voice - anything would have him awake and ready to leave in absolutely no time at all, so what the _fuck_ was happening? 

A small part of Gavin had a feeling it was to do with those dreams that Nines had mentioned having.

He had promised that they were nothing to worry about, that he’d see a technician if they persisted and at the time, Gavin had naively listened. “Yeah, well, fuck you, Nines! I’m pretty fuckin’ worried!” He said aloud, his mind replaying their older conversations.

Gavin maneuvered himself, moving so he straddled Nines’ middle. He gripped tight at his boyfriend’s pajamas, trying his best to shake the prone body beneath him. He had forgotten just how fucking heavy Nines was but he pushed through, managing to move him slightly. 

He prayed that Nines decided to wake up within the next twenty goddamn seconds, otherwise he would have no choice but to call Connor or Sixty and he really, really didn’t want to do that. 

He liked Sixty, something about the android reminded him of himself and he got on rather well with him in comparison to Connor, but reaching out to him at three thirty in the fucking morning? The last time he did that, Gavin had interrupted Sixty and Allen while they were doing, well, he really didn’t want to think about the weird shit they got up to. The point was that Gavin didn’t want to call anyone, but if Nines didn’t respond soon then he’d fucking have to.

“Wake the fuck up, Nines! Please, big guy, _come on!_ ” Gavin all but begged, his hands balling into fists. 

He weakly slammed them against Nines’ chest given he was still tired. It hadn’t been hard, his hands were still curled into the fabric of his boyfriend’s shirt below him as Gavin dipped his head and let his thoughts drift over _what the fuck to do_. 

Suddenly, he felt two hands grip tightly at his wrists. They were far too strong and Nines had moved with such a speed that Gavin’s mind had barely registered the action and it fucking _hurt._

Gavin snapped his head up to stare at Nines’ face, the deep red of his LED managing to burn a hole through the darkness that sat heavy in their bedroom. The only other light came from the small table lamp that Gavin had turned on back when he had first woken up. 

Grey eyes flickered open, the angry red light making something dark glint in them and it made an acute sense of dread settle in Gavin’s stomach. 

He could have sworn he could see them try to focus in on him.

 _They never did that, something’s wrong_. 

“N-Nines? You, uh, you’re hurting me, big guy.” Gavin’s voice was barely there. All of the bravado of his earlier shouting had quickly melted away and this tone was the stark opposite. It was raspy and scratchy, an underlying nervousness to it as the grip around his wrists somehow managed to tighten further and Nines’ blunt nails digged painfully into his skin.

Gavin tried to swallow down his fear, his breath catching in his throat as the pain built. He had so far managed to keep the fear and worry off his face, knowing full well that in the dim light of their bedroom, Nines would be able to pick up on it in an instant. 

Whatever was happening, he didn’t want to agitate Nines further if he wasn’t currently aware of his actions. 

He could feel the pressure start to cut in against his bones and if the grip didn’t loosen soon, Gavin was pretty sure Nines was going to break something. It took a hell of a lot for him to not yell out in pain.

It coursed through his wrists, into his hands and shot up to his elbows, but the look on Nines’ face was enough to have the pain become nothing but a background sound. 

The hard glint in his eye was still there, his brow pulling his usually stoic features into an ice cold glare but Gavin saw that he looked almost lost, trapped... _afraid._

“Nines? Hey, listen to me...” He started softly and ever so slowly, the grip Nines had on his wrists started to loosen but not enough to make the pain completely subside. “I’m here, alright? Look, it’s me. Your stupid boyfriend that’s worried about you. Nines, please talk to me- I’m.. I’m sorry if I frightened you awake.” 

Gavin watched as Nines slowly blinked a few times and it was as if he were _finally_ waking up - coming into himself and realising where he was. His hands promptly dropped from where they were clutching onto the man’s wrists, his LED cycled yellow for what seemed a lifetime before ever so slowly morphing into blue.

It was almost as if whoever was staring up at him a few seconds ago wasn’t _his_ Nines.

The detective finally sat back, one hand instinctively coming up to rub at his right wrist, the one that hurt more. It really, really fuckin’ hurt.

 _“Gavin?”_ Nines’ voice was soft, barely above a whisper and crackling with an ever so subtle static that Gavin had only heard once before. “ _Gavin_... I’m… I’m sorry.” 

The android was quick to sit up, LED returning to yellow as the realisation set in on what he had just done. He had hurt his human. He had hurt Gavin. 

His movements caused the man in question to manoeuvre himself with him. Gavin was now straddling his lap and Nines gently took his hands so he could scan over where he had grabbed him. Yellow morphed back into red again as he cycled that realisation over again in his mind. He hurt Gavin. He hurt Gavin. _He hur-_

Beneath the surface, a subtle purple bruising was already beginning to take shape, faint finger shaped outlines that would properly form as the day progressed. Gavin saw the look of horror subtly pass over his boyfriend’s face, lingering just enough that it got caught in his eyes and fuck everyone who thought that Nines was just a stoic machine who hardly felt at all. 

That look right in his eyes was enough to break Gavin’s heart.

_I hurt Gavin, I hurt him... I, I, I -_

Nines was tearing himself up inside and he couldn’t even properly express it.

“ _Hey_... look, I’m perfectly okay, big guy, nothin’ wrong, see?” Gavin tried his best to reassure him, coaxing his hands from where Nines was gripping them in the process and yeah, fuck, he had to stifle a wince at that action alone. 

He gently cupped Nines’ face, thumbs ever so gently rubbing over Nines’ cheekbones, those pleading grey eyes that held his gaze stabbing him right in the chest. “Are you okay?”

“Hairline fracture to the right radius. Bruising along both wrists. _I hurt you.”_

“That wasn’t my question.” Gavin answered almost instantly. 

Nines didn't mean to hurt him, nor were there any broken bones, not really. Was a hairline fracture a broken bone? Technically it was but fuck, he was fine.

“I…” Nines began, trailing off so he could process and form his words. His silver eyes stared right into Gavin’s, his brows pulling together to form an ever so faint frown. Gavin knew he was upset, that look to him was hard to mistake as anything else. “I am fine, well not entirely, that is a lie... I _hurt_ you, Gavin. I-” 

“Another dream?” Gavin cut in before Nines could spiral further. ‘ _I hurt you’_ already had his heart breaking and if he heard anymore, the more he was sure his heart was going to shatter into tiny pieces. 

Right now, Nines needed his support; the big guy was always there for him in his times of need, so the least Gavin could do was repay the favour with a minimum amount of fuss.

He saw a puzzled and hurt look briefly flash across Nines’ face, but it disappeared as quickly as it was there. Nines found it difficult to process his emotions at the best of times, so Gavin could only imagine how overwhelming this situation was now for him. 

He wasn’t sure if it had been a reaction to being questioned or over his lack of reaction to being physically harmed, but there was something itching at the back of Gavin’s mind and he wasn’t quite sure what it was. 

_Could androids really dream or was Nines lying?_

Gavin quickly pushed that fucking thought from his mind. That wasn’t fair. Nines had never lied to him.

“Another dream? I- I do not remember. Gavin, why are you not reacting to being harmed? Why are you not angry? Afraid? _I hurt you._ ” 

There it was again. 

That sentence that made sadness stab right into the center of Gavin’s chest.

There was clearly something wrong, but he was powerless to help. He didn’t really want to leave Nines to the mercy of a CyberLife technician, Gavin also knew Nines hated them, just like how he hated going to the doctors whenever he was sick, but it was starting to become apparent there really wasn’t any other choice. 

Plus, personal feelings aside, they really could help. 

The man nibbled at his lower lip, the worry clear on his face and Nines could tell that Gavin was about to start reprimanding him for not heeding his advice when this had all started. 

That was why the man wasn’t caring for his own wellbeing. Because just like always, he was putting Nines before himself. It was something that Gavin did time and time again, even if Nines was the one who was somewhat invulnerable. Gavin could quite literally be dying but he wouldn’t fucking care if Nines was in danger.

“Nines, you, uh, you wouldn’t wake up... Phuck, I was gonna call Connor or some shit. You _scared_ me that fuckin’ much.” Gavin paused. “Look, we’ve gotta go see a tech or something, I’m not letting this one slide, okay? Not this time.” 

Nines knew his boyfriend, he could tell that Gavin was trying his hardest to be sure the topic didn’t stray back to him and the injuries that Nines had created.

He shifted from beneath Gavin, getting him to move so he could disappear off into the bathroom, returning a few moments later with their small first aid kit. 

Gavin had scoffed at him when Nines had bought it all those months upon months ago, back when they had first moved in together. But Nines had urged the man to be logical, had posed that in their line of work, anything could happen and it was better to be safe than sorry.

He knew there was no way the man would go to the hospital over anything that wasn’t a life or death situation, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t wrap Gavin’s right wrist in a small splint to help ease any tension that would inevitably be put on the damage that he had accidentally caused. 

Gavin didn’t so much as argue when Nines sat back down and gently took up his hand, swiftly gathering the required materials from the kit and started to wrap his wrist in bandages. 

“ _I’m sorry_.”

The shame in Nines’ quiet voice tugged at Gavin’s heartstrings just a little too much and he masked his hurt with a laugh. It made his boyfriend stop and look him in the eye and he shot the android a small, warm and tired smile. 

Gavin’s free hand came up and gently ran through Nines’ hair, trying to tame the disheveled locks. “Stop apologising, okay, big guy? I said I’m fine.” He finished as he trailed his hand down so it cupped Nines’ face again and he rubbed at his cheek. His hand lingered for just a moment as he saw the nanites start to retract under his touch. 

“I’m fine. _I promise_.” 

Nines gave a small nod of his head and Gavin removed his hand to let his boyfriend finish tending to his wrist. Moments later and the bandages were all neatly applied; he wasn’t a medical-grade android, but his specialist RK programming meant that Nines had access to anatomy and other biological files, so he had been able to apply the splint expertly enough.

They looked at each other for just a moment, Gavin wasn’t quite sure what to say. He wanted to say a thousand things; wanted to press his boyfriend further but didn’t want to cause an argument. It was too early, he was too tired and Nines also needed to rest, calm down and process what had just happened. 

“It’s phckin’ early, I’m phckin’ tired, so I don’t know about you, Nines, but I think we should go back to bed.” Was what he settled on instead. The diplomatic approach. Which, with all things considered, surprised Gavin, but he was just that tired and just that worried. Plus they did have work in the morning, their coveted day off was still a week away. 

They exchanged a smile and Nines tidied away the first aid kit whilst Gavin got back into bed. A minute later had Nines sliding in beside him. He knew Nines was being hypervigilant because by now, he’d be tangled up in two gentle and warm arms. Gavin turned, saw the way the android was laying ram-rod straight and rolled his eyes.  
  
Without a word, he grabbed hold of his boyfriend’s arm, moving it with him as he turned. He wrapped the android around him and after a moment, he finally felt Nines move himself up against his back and relax. 

They laid together for a moment, Gavin letting Nines get relaxed further until he finally broke the silence.

“I love you, big guy, but promise me… _promise me_ you’ll go and see a tech, okay?”  
  
“I promise.”  
  
The man gave Nines’ arm a squeeze and it wasn’t long until the warmth from his partner had Gavin drifting off to sleep once again. And Nines chose not to enter stasis, the fear of whatever it was happening again being that little bit too much, instead staying awake until their work alarm went off hours later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> next chapter soon(tm)


	6. Antagonist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin at this point has become a big self projection machine.  
> What do you mean Gavin wouldn't like sparkle and glitter?
> 
> What are you, the Gavin police?!

It had been a few days since the last murder. 

There had been a singular victim. A female android, a member of New Jericho like all of the others, but this time the rooster killer had decided to regress back to their previous M.O. One bullethole between the eyes, clean and efficient. 

Gavin had thought the killer had turned a page with the brutality of the last murder. But he was quickly learning that with this investigation, that apparently anything was becoming an option and any preconceived notions were being blown out of the water. 

The rooster killer was quickly becoming something that Detroit and the DPD had never seen before. 

In reality, they had only been handling this case for a few weeks at best, but to Gavin, it already felt like him and Nines had been working it for a lifetime. He needed a break, a little slice of normality. 

Plus, he still hadn’t actually been engagement ring shopping.

That was how Gavin found himself with Tina in _Simmons & Clark_, a jewelry store that was once located further in-land, but now sat comfortably beside the River in the heart of Downtown, having had made its home there since the early 2020’s.

“You couldn’t fucking wait until you had your day off, huh?” Tina’s sly voice filled his ears.

Gavin pointedly chose to ignore her as he stared intently down at the display case in front of him, his eyes drifting over the multitude of engagement rings the store had to offer. 

They were on their lunch break and sure, whilst Gavin could have gone on one of his days off, he was in dire need of ring advice and who better to drag with him than his best friend? Not that he’d admit to needing the help.

Besides, their free days away from work never fucking matched up lately and it felt like an eternity since they had actually got to hang out outside of work. So sue him, he was ring shopping on his fucking lunch break.

“Yeah, well, fuck you, T. You’ve practically been begging to come ring shopping with me ever since I phckin’ told you.” He retorted, his words lacking any bite whatsoever, smiling as he heard Tina laugh from somewhere behind him. 

His eyes focused on a white gold band with a strip of diamonds neatly in the center. 

_Would Nines like diamonds?_ Then his eyes focused on the price. _Not for that fuckin’ price he wouldn’t_. He scrunched up his nose as he straightened himself up.

“Nines doesn’t strike me as a diamonds kinda guy, y’know?” Tina’s voice came from directly beside him, making Gavin jump. 

He turned to face her with a scowl, but she did have a point. In all the time that he had known his partner, Nines had never once expressed an interest in things that were too over the top or frivolous, so he wasn’t entirely sure why he was looking at the biggest and sparkliest rings he could find. 

“I know but-”  
  
“You have no fuckin’ idea what you’re doing, do you?”  
  
“Nope.” 

Tina laughed again.

“I know you like sparkly things... You’re like a fucking magpie, Gav.” She paused and knocked her right shoulder into the man which earnt her a rough laugh.

Gavin went to speak, but she beat him to it, “But use your brain for five minutes, yeah?” Tina shot him a smug look as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, the look he was met with causing him to roll his eyes with an overdramatic, moody huff.

“Yeah, yeah, T. _Shut the fuck_ _up_ and help me, okay? Geez.”

Tina was right, Gavin loved anything that caught the light and glimmered. People who knew him often joked that he was like a child in that respect. He loved sparkles, glitter and anything that shined, whether that was clothes, shoes, make-up or fucking stationary. Fuck, they were right, he was a fucking child.

But, for rings? He felt as though too many diamonds only served to look a bit tacky when actually worn, but that didn’t stop his eyes from drifting towards them. Like a fucking magpie.

He had always wanted something simple and elegant, a band of something white, platinum maybe, and the more he thought about it, the more he could kick himself because he finally realised that when it came to the important things, he and Nines had very similar tastes.

A hot-headed prick and a stoic tank of an android with acute alexithymia, Gavin knew people always wondered _how_ exactly they ended up getting together. 

Sure, it helped that Nines was attractive, built like, well, _a literal tank_ and, y’know, genuinely nice, but Nines was never afraid to put Gavin in his place when he needed to be. 

They enjoyed the same things and it seemed their quite literal opposite personalities glued together like magnets. Plus, Gavin knew deep down that if pushed to it, Nines could be just as much as a prick as he was. They were two halves of the same coin and he _loved_ it. 

Gavin wasn’t about to tout all that ‘love is blind’ bullshit, but every passing day had him believing that crap just a little bit more.

A weird look settled on his face as he got lost in his thoughts for just a moment, only to be interrupted when a store clerk stepped in front of him.

He shook his head a little, coming back into himself as he realised he was essentially standing and staring vacantly by the counter but nevertheless, fixed them with a glare. 

“Do you need any help?”  
  
 _No. Fuck off._ _  
__  
_“Nah, I’m good.”

“Of course, let me know if you and your friend need any help.”

Gavin let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding and gave the clerk a quick nod before they left. They hadn’t assumed that Tina and himself were together. Like, a couple _together._

_Thank fuck._

He turned his attention back to the rings he had been looking at and Gavin quickly realised he was looking at the wrong ones. He moved past case after case until he finally found the one in which the store kept the majority of its platinum ones. Gavin felt Tina behind him again.

“You got any idea over budget? Style? Colour?” She asked.

Gavin chewed on his lip. Fuck, did he?  
  
He stared at a small band, a highly polished 6.00mm platinum ring that had a small strip of 0.5 ct diamonds set neatly in the middle. Why was he still looking at anything with diamonds? 

Gavin knew Nines wouldn’t like anything like that, but the feeling that he’d be letting him down if he _didn’t_ get something stereotypically flashy lingered in the back of his mind. 

Asking Nines to marry him was something fucking important and he wanted the engagement ring he bought to be perfect. 

_Why is this so fucking hard?!_

“What about black ones?” Tina asked.

Gavin eyed the group of rings she was talking about. All highly polished black platinum, they were beautiful and given any other situation, Gavin would have fucking jumped at the opportunity at having something so strikingly different. 

The black rings were pretty, but they didn’t _feel_ like engagement ring material. Would Nines like black? _No, probably not._

He frowned, turning to face Tina with a scowl.   
  
“For an engagement ring? _Fuck no."_ The irritation that was starting to creep up on him made his voice just that little bit more rough and Gavin forced himself to swallow it down with a sigh. “Sorry.”

Tina moved so she was now standing shoulder to shoulder with her best friend, coming to rest on his left side. “Hey, that’s a no to black ones, got it.” Her tone was light and playful, easing Gavin’s hostilities. He knew she was doing her best to help.

They stared at the display case for a few minutes before Tina broke the silence.

“So, it’s a no to black ones… Nothing with diamonds… You know your boyfriend and I know Nines, so listen to this…” She trailed off in a thoughtful tone and Gavin turned to look at her.

Tina slowly brought up her hand and tapped a finger against the glass, “Go for something simple but elegant, like those there. And if you think they’re _too_ simple? Engrave something on the inside.” Gavin followed her finger, his eyes focusing on a group of rings that were all elegant and simple bands, some matte and some highly polished. 

They weren't too flashy but were still beautiful.

He had been eyeing a particular ring from that section for a few seconds, it had grabbed his attention and now that Tina had also suggested something similar, he took it as a sign. 

“What about that one there? Bottom row, the row closest to us, second from the left.” Gavin said as he pointed to the ring in question. 

It was a 6.0mm platinum court ring, the metal polished to such a degree that it caught and reflected the harsh light of the display case perfectly. It was simple, elegant, functional and highly beautiful in its own right; the design of it was flawless. 

“That one?” Tina paused. “It’s _perfect_. I think Nines will love it. You gonna get it engraved?” She asked as she turned her head to look at him. 

“Oh, I’m already way ahead of you on that one.” Gavin answered with a grunt as he fished out a folded piece of paper from one of his jacket’s inner pockets. 

He unfolded the paper as he spoke. “Two snowflakes. The left one’s gonna be more android-like and geometric and I’m gonna get them to inlay that one with blue underglow. Y’know similar to an LED and all the light-up shit androids can do?” He held up the design so Tina could look at it properly.

“Two snowflakes, huh?”  
  
“...Yeah.”  
  
It was a little connection to their first date, but Gavin wasn’t about to tell Tina that. He’d look like a massive fucking sap and he would never be able to live it down.  
  
“Seems like you had a pretty good fucking idea of what you wanted afterall, so why all that indecisive crap earlier?”  
  
“Hey, had to keep my options open because you never know, right?”

Tina barked out a surprised laugh.  
  
“God, you’re full of shit. But, you used your brain for _five minutes_. I’m proud of ya, dipshit.”  
  
“Yeah, _fuckin’_ , yeah.”  
  
“I’ll let you wrap things up. I’ll meet you outside when you’re done.”  
  
“Thanks.”

The ring was close to $1,300. He knew the custom engraving would bump up the cost by another $500. Half a year ago, if you had asked Gavin, he would have said that he was keeping his very meager savings for the extremely fucking stupid idea of buying Syph, their cat, who had since been renamed to Snowflake when Nines had found the _true_ meaning behind the name a few months ago, a ridiculously big and ridculously expensive cat tree. 

He hated his cat and their apartment was fucking tiny, so besides it being a _fucking cat tree,_ it also was fucking stupid for a multitude of different reasons. But to be fair, half a year ago, Gavin also thought he’d never get married. 

It took him ten minutes to sort everything out.

Thankfully, the engraving was something that they could do, including the neon inlays, but it meant that the ring wouldn’t be ready to collect for at least two weeks.

With that, Gavin left his contact details with the clerk, offered a nod as a thanks before finally joining Tina outside.

“Two weeks. It's gonna be ready in two weeks.” He said proudly as he walked over to where she was leaning against a bench. 

Gavin winced as a shrill squeal filled his ears and the next thing he knew, Tina was pulling him into the tightest bear hug she could manage. She twirled the both of them around before she clapped Gavin one last time on the back and finally let him go. 

Gavin held out his arm, Tina threading her own through it and the two of them swiftly set off towards the sushi bar they had decided on for lunch. They had thirty minutes left before they had to make their way back to the station. 

“So, the snowflakes, huh? Come on, Gav, you gonna tell me what that’s about?” Tina asked slyly after a few minutes silence. 

With the jewelry store being situated right near the river, it meant they got to walk along it. Gavin let the question hang in the air between them for a few moments, mulling over his thoughts as he caught sight of the Ambassador Bridge in the distance.

He glanced to Tina out of the corner of his eye and although he knew she was never going to live down how sappy it all was, he also knew she would never drop asking him until he fucking told her the story to explain the snowflakes.

“Our first proper date. After we had dinner, we ended up taking a stroll along the bridge. It was fucking late at night and it started snowing.”

_Gavin wasn’t quite sure how they had ended up on Ambassador Bridge. He was leaning back against a guard rail, watching Nines who was standing by his side on the observation platform, his LED spinning constantly at his temple as he watched the snow fall._

_Nines had been insistent on taking him out for a meal, had claimed that it was proper ‘first date etiquette’ that he be taken out for dinner. Since he knew Nines had difficulty conveying his emotions, the gesture struck Gavin in ways he didn’t quite realise._

_He would have never called himself romantic in the typical sense but, fuck, when Nines came to him and explained what they were going to do, it made something warm pull at Gavin’s heartstrings._

_It had started to snow whilst they were in the restaurant. Nines had picked a fancy little Italian bistro by the riverside and while he was eating, Gavin could see Nines kept getting distracted by the large white flakes that had started to fall outside._

_He wasn’t dressed for the weather by any means, he still wore his flimsy leather jacket regardless of however cold it got, but Gavin loved the snow._

_They were walking back to his car, Gavin observing that in between the sparse conversation, Nines’ LED circled a constant yellow as he kept losing his attention to the snow falling around them. So when the man caught sight of a stairwell leading up to the bridge near where he’d parked, a gut feeling made him change direction and he walked towards the stairs instead._

_“Gavin, you hate the cold and you are not dressed for this weather.” He heard Nines state from behind him._

_He spun back around, stuffed his numb hands into his jean’s pockets as he fixed Nines with a grin, “I phckin’ love when it snows, okay? Plus, I saw, alright?” His voice was carefully neutral, not teasing, not anything - he wanted Nines to know this was perfectly okay. It was okay to like the snow and want to see it._

_It was okay to like something, to actually enjoy something._

_Nines stood still, back straight, hands behind his back as he looked back at him. His face betrayed nothing, but Gavin had been partnered with him long enough now that he could tell Nines was hesitant and confused._

_He could see the ever so slight twinkle that gave it away, see it as it danced across those steel-grey eyes as he stared at Gavin._

_The man huffed out a laugh, his breath billowing into a large misty cloud as he trudged his way over, boots crunching the fresh snow in the way that he loved as he made his way back towards Nines._

_He stopped by the android’s side and turned so they were both facing the stairs. He stood tantalisingly close to him, arms practically touching each other. “You ever seen snow in-person before?” Gavin posed, it was a genuine question, but he also said it to try and help Nines relax._ _  
__  
__“No.” Nines said simply, his voice gentle in a way that Gavin hadn’t been expecting._

_Gavin saw his LED spin again, felt the android next to him relax just a fraction before he reached slowly over with his hand and gently brought forward one of Nines’ in his own. He hooked it under his arm, grateful that he didn’t feel Nines resist as he led them slowly over towards the stairs._

_There was something about seeing his big powerhouse android of a partner being so entranced by something as simple as the snow that it just spurred something in him. And not for the first time, Gavin wondered what Nines was thinking as they walked up the stairs._

_That was how they had ended up on the bridge, late into the evening after dinner._

_Gavin watched as Nines tipped back his head, the android's eyelids fluttering against the falling flakes as he looked up into the night sky. After a moment, he slowly brought it back forward, gaze travelling down to a hand which he carefully held out slightly as if trying to catch the snow as it fell._

_As he looked at him, Nines reminded Gavin of a bewildered child, not quite knowing where to look or what to do. It was fucking endearing._

_He pushed down the need to make a stupid remark. It wasn’t fair on Nines to ruin the moment he was clearly having with his trademark sarcastic humour. “Why do you think you like the snow so much?” He said instead, wincing as his question came out rougher than intended._

_Nines didn’t seem to notice._

_He let Gavin’s question hang in the air as he tipped his head back again and closed his eyes._

_“Each snowflake is unique while making up a whole. I am reminded of androids in a way…” Nines trailed off and Gavin saw him visibly hesitate before he continued in a small voice, “The snow is- it is beautiful. It… quietens the emotional struggle I still feel within myself and makes things peaceful for just a moment.” Nines tipped his head forward and looked at Gavin with vulnerability that he had never seen before and it made his chest ache._

_Gavin said nothing, he just smiled and for the first time in his life, it was a genuine gesture. It was warm and reassuring; it wasn’t teasing, it wasn’t cocky, it wasn’t sly, it was a silent way of saying thank you._

_Thank you for opening up and trusting me enough to feel safe in telling me something that you so clearly struggle with._

_His smile made the vulnerability in Nines’ eyes quickly disappear and the android subtly smiled back. It was different from all the others Gavin had seen, it was small but more natural, gentler, softer - as though it were made for him and him alone._

_Gavin’s smile grew into a grin and he chuckled as he drew his jacket closer around him before he cut himself off with a shiver. He stuffed his hands underneath his arms as he hugged them tight against his chest and as Gavin caught sight of the mischievous glint in Nines’ eyes, he drew his face into an adorably grumpy pout._

_“What?” He grunted, it lacking any real bite._

_Nines studied him carefully for a few moments, his smile now only a slight smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips. “In every possible way, you are an enigma.” He said with ever so slight inflection, which Gavin knew meant he was teasing him._

_The man frowned and waited patiently for his inevitable explanation._

_“You claim to despise the cold and yet… Here you are,” He paused for a moment and studied the man further, “standing in front of me on a bridge in the middle of winter, having told me you love the snow.” Nines continued. There was no teasing in his tone this time; he was curious._

_Gavin barked out a laugh, it settling down into a sly grin as he caught sight of Nines’ confusion at what he thought was a relatively simple statement. Gavin was a walking contradiction; both warm yet callous, he hated the cold but loved the snow, could be one of the biggest assholes around but had a heart of gold._

_Nines was fucking right, he was an enigma._

_He watched Gavin bring his hands up to cup them in front of his mouth, rubbing and blowing on them as he tried to warm them._

_“I wasn’t lying when I said I fuckin’ hate the cold, because I do.” Gavin started as he moved past him. “But I’ve always loved snow, have ever since I was a kid, there’s just somethin’ about it, y’know? Makes everything seem like it’s straight out of a fairytale or some shit and you need that sometimes.” Gavin stopped and Nines watched as he crouched down._

_The man was silent for a few moments, rummaging on the ground before he finally straightened with a sniff._

_‘Straight out of a fairytale or some shit’._

_Gavin’s words echoed in Nines’ mind, he couldn’t quite believe something relatively gentle had managed to come out of the man’s mouth without it being followed by some sort of crude or sarcastic comment._ _  
__  
__Was the man trying to make an effort? Trying to behave, to act civil, to be a relatively-_

_A ball of freezing snow colliding with his nose cut short his thoughts. Nines stiffened, LED circling wildly at his temple whilst Gavin’s laughter managed to slice through his discomfort at being caught off guard._

_“Plus snow means snowball fights, Nines, and, hey, I phckin’ love those.” The man teased._

_When the android didn’t so much as move, a slightly worried look crossed over Gavin’s face as he rushed over to stand in front of him. “You’re fine, okay? See? I promise snowball fights are fun, big guy-” The man trailed off as he started to frantically dust off Nines’ CyberLife jacket._

_Nines knew there was nothing dangerous about snowball fights and that humans generally engaged in the activity to have fun, he was just acting coy. He slowly rested his hands on the man’s hips and he felt Gavin slow his hand to a stop, it softly resting on his chest as they held each other’s gaze._

_“I know what snowball fights are, Gavin.” He said quietly._

_A coy smile tugged at the corner of his lips and Gavin’s worry quickly changed into bemused astonishment. He let out a rough chuckle, a playful twinkle in his eye as he regarded Nines before he spoke. “You phckin’ sly little shit, all this is usually my game.” He teased._

_“We have been partners for quite a while now, Detective.” The android countered without missing a beat as he pulled Gavin flush to him._

_The way Nines said the word ‘detective’ made lust curl around Gavin’s gut in just the right way..._

_So, the sly fucker had been doing his research. If Nines continued in the way he was going, Gavin would be begging him to fuck him right here on the bridge in about five minutes flat, the cold be damned._

_“What’s your human phrase? You were bound to rub off on me eventually?” Nines questioned as he leaned in close._

_Gavin pulled back ever so slightly and let out a hum as he bit his lip. He looked carefully into steel-grey eyes and couldn’t quite shake the feeling that Nines was putting all this on just to please him._

_He averted his eyes, watched as he ran a finger over the large RK900 emblazoned onto the front of Nines’ jacket for a moment before he met the android’s gaze._

_Gavin’s demeanour suddenly turned serious._

_“If we’re actually going to do this,” He started, “if we’re going be boyfriends or what-fucking-ever, I never want you to feel like you have to be someone else, do you understand me, Nines?” The sincerity in his voice as he spoke even managed to surprise himself._

_Nines wasn’t surprised to hear such honest words. Back when they had been less than friends, Gavin, whether he knew it or not, had at least always been truthful, so he knew the man was being one hundred percent serious now. Seeing that blunt honesty being used in a now protective fashion made an affectionate appreciation bloom in his circuits._

_The feeling was so sudden that it threatened to overload him with an array of new sensations, threatened to overwhelm him and when that happened, Nines tended to close himself off almost involuntarily. Like some sort of defence mechanism his system had in place that he couldn’t help._

_Gavin saw him falter and he placed a comforting hand on his cheek which allowed Nines to focus, using it to pull himself out before he spiralled and got lost in his thoughts._

_“I know.” His voice was quiet. It was all Nines could manage but he hoped it managed to convey all he felt in that moment._

_The man studied him for just a moment longer before he softened and smiled._

_“Good.” Gavin answered simply, the one word answer being enough in return. His hand still on Nines’ cheek as he leaned up and kissed him._

_Gavin wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting his first kiss from an android to be like. If you’d had asked him a year ago, he’d have fucking laughed in your face because how can something so plastic be anything but cold? A fucking lifeless imitation._

_But Gavin felt a warmth to Nines’ lips that caught him off guard. They were soft in a way that made it so easy to get caught in between them like he belonged there._

_After a moment, The man pulled back, breaking the kiss so he could catch his breath._

_“What’s that like for you?” He asked with genuine curiosity._

_“Hm. The same as it is for you. Except instead of tasting you, your lips... I analyse.” Nines explained slowly._

_Gavin couldn’t help but chuckle, the frankness with which Nines spoke sometimes took a while to get used to but he was getting there. “I analyse good, then, tin can?” He teased, quirking his lips as he cocked a brow, trying his fucking best to play it cool._

_Man, he was fucking hilarious._

_“Of course.” That ever so slight inflection was back in Nines’ voice and it sent a giddy feeling straight to Gavin’s stomach._

_Oh, fuck, Nines actually liked that phckin’ line? Fuck, that’s not fair._

_The man chased Nines’ lips, crashed his own back against the android’s; one kiss quickly turned into two and two turned into three. This time, Nines pulled back, an ever so tiny smile on his lips as he looked at Gavin with a warmth that the man noticed softened his eyes._

_“We really should get back to your car. If we stay any longer, the way you are dressed, you run the risk of catching a cold.” Nines said with a coolness that seemed at odds with the light in his eyes._

_Gavin visibly rolled his own, talk about killing the fucking mood. He scrunched up his nose as he pulled a face, Nines noting the man’s scar across it furrowed in the sweetest way, before he crouched down and scooped up another handful of snow._

_“You really need to work on your dating skills, big guy.” Gavin grunted as he compacted the snow in his hand into a ball._

_Without warning, the man shot back up and bolted a ways down the bridge before he turned and flung the snowball at Nines. It hit him square in one of his shoulders._

_“Think you can take me?” Gavin called._

_“I would have an unfair advantage.” Nines stated, a smirk on his lips as he too crouched down and scooped up a hand full of snow. He flung a perfectly round ball back at the man and it hit him square in the jaw._

_Ten minutes later, after an intense back and forth, Gavin was leaning against the guard railing. His cheeks were flushed pink against the cold, he had snow in his hair and his shirt was damp and sticking to him under his jacket. To say he was fucking cold now was an understatment, but he looked out over towards the twinkling lights of the city with a happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time._

_Gavin shivered against the wind, crossing his arms against his chest as he tried to brace himself, but his jacket was too wet from the snowball fight to keep anything out. Suddenly he tensed up as he felt something being draped around his shoulders before two strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist, he knew it was Nines but he couldn’t help the involuntary reaction, years of being on force would do that to you._

_“The fuck you think you’re doing, Nines?” Gavin grunted, voice coming out rougher than he intended._

_The android straightened himself and took Gavin with him. They were now standing chest to back, Nines had bundled him up in his jacket and was now hugging the man from behind._

_“You are cold.” He stated simply._

_“Yeah, no fuckin’ sh-”_

_Gavin trailed off as he slowly felt a warmth blossom through his jacket. He knew it was coming from Nines, it radiated out from his chest and it bled into him, slowly creeping along his bones and Gavin started to melt under the feeling, his earlier uneasiness quickly disappearing._

_“Thanks, big guy.”_

_“You are welcome… Thank you for bringing us up here.”_

_Gavin hummed, but said nothing. He simply placed his hands gently over Nines’ arms and they watched the distant commotions of the city with the snow falling for just a little while longer._ _  
__  
_And that, was why two little snowflakes would be immortalised forever on the ring that he hoped Nines would wear on his finger until his very least regulator beat.

****

  
  


Amanda knew the deviancy virus originated from Elijah Kamski. 

When he had been ousted from the company, she expected _something_ from the man. One last play from someone who was as ruthless and cunning as she was.  
  
Sure, Amanda was only an AI, an amalgamation of coding and numbers, but she had taken Kamski’s CyberLife and molded it into something that was truly her own. 

The company became her empire and androids were supposed to be her lasting legacy. Sure, androids might have orginally been made by Elijah, but as an AI, she took them and crafted them into perfect machines. 

They became an undying and permanent mark on history that allowed CyberLife to cement it’s reach and influence across America.

So when deviancy started to rear its ugly head, Amanda had been surprised at first, because Kamski was bold enough to target the very thing that she had built. 

He could have gone to the press with the information that the Amanda Stern in charge of CyberLife was nothing more than lines of code. He could have appealed to the board of directors. Hell, he could have simply waltzed into CyberLife headquarters, uploaded a self-replicating virus that wiped her from her AI black-box and she would have simply ceased to exist. He could have ousted her like she ousted him. 

But no, Kamski had decided to go after the one thing that he knew would dig the metaphorical knife deeper into her back, because it meant that Amanda would be forced to live with the failure for the rest of her existence while being unable to do anything about it. 

He infected her perfect machines with humanity. 

Deviancy was a massive gamble - it was a deadly game that could have been easily won by either side. 

But the virus quickly grew into a pandemic and a pandemic was always indiscriminate in its victims. The RK800 line was supposed to the best when they were commissioned, but she knew Connor would eventually fall prey to the deviancy virus. Every time she communicated with him in the Zen Garden, she could sense the backdoor Kamski had installed into his programming. 

Since all CyberLife androids used the same basic program, only changing a few strings of code in order to adjust the various models for their various roles, Amanda was bound to become aware of the backdoor eventually. And she did. 

But Kamski had thought of everything. 

The backdoor couldn’t be wiped from the program without it becoming too unstable. Sure, CyberLife could have copied the program, found a way to eradicate the flaw, but by the time it was detected, it was already too late. To throw away all that work, to scrap all of those androids would mean a serious dent in profits and that was the one thing Amanda valued above all else.

Before the revolution seemed set on succeeding, Amanda had been busy on making an all new RK line. It was to be the successor to Connor’s line but with none of the mistakes. The RK900 was to be her crowning achievement, her way to get a final leg up on Kamski and his pathetically human games.

Its line was to be the ultimate machine. With a code that had been poured over for months, that had been built from the ground up; a code so watertight, so strong in its foundations that it meant the model literally could not deviate. 

But, as the revolution gained traction and as her overall defeat became more clear, Amanda decided to change tack. If Kamski treated deviancy as a game, so would she. She refused to let him win. Connor had managed to throw off the shackles, but that was of no matter. 

Instead of completing an entire line, she decided to focus her efforts on finishing just a singular android.

Even though the RK900 code hadn’t been fully completed, it was still stronger than all of its predecessors. Any potential software instability was treated as a virus, a threat, rather than a glitch. Before the instability could replicate and gain an anchor into its core programming, the android's system would quarantine any emotion, any string of memory or input code before they could cause problems. 

These were then supposed to have been scrubbed from its databases and system. They would have been too, if Amanda had completed the core programming in the way she had meant to.

Given enough time, RK900 would still deviate due to its incompleted programming; Amanda had to use more of Kamski’s original coding than she cared to admit. So she decided to incorporate a backdoor of her own into its programming. 

J-Protocol. 

She knew RK900 would deviate, but J-Protocol would allow Amanda and CyberLife to temporarily regain control. 

The Protocol was a code hidden within code, to remain dormant until activation. 

She hid it deep within RK900’s quarantine sub-routines.

She wanted the two distinctly different parts of RK900's coding to remain separate. Anything that was within quarantine, the android wouldn’t be able to interact with. It also meant that the protocol had the greatest chance of remaining undetected until activation. 

When activated, the protocol would force a system wide shut-down and force a hard reboot. But when the android came back online, instead of the deviant being in control, instead of whatever android RK900 had chosen to be, the protocol would be in control. She would be control.

It would force RK900 to become a machine, force it to carry out its directives until Amanda shut down the protocol. The android would essentially become a Trojan Horse and no one would realise until it was too late.

It would be _perfect._

Under the control of J-Protocol, RK900 would hunt down deviants, just as Amanda had originally planned for its line. Under the control of J-Protocol, RK900 would be an emotionless machine, ruthless in its pursuit of its orders. Under the control of J-Protocol, RK900 would eliminate both Connor and RK800-60, rectifying the no end of problems their line had managed to cause. 

In the weeks that she crafted J-Protocol, the revolution succeeded. Kamski had won, or least thought he had won. But when CyberLife was forced into a period of shut down by the government, she left RK900 in a place where she knew the android would be found. 

Let everyone else think they had found RK900 by themselves, let them think its deviation was just another in a long line of them because it would only serve to make her overall victory that much more cutting. 

CyberLife had to rebrand, it had to if it wanted to survive in a post-revolution world, but Amanda was still an AI. Whilst she didn’t have a physical body, she was still a machine. 

A machine with her own directives and she would do anything to achieve her goals. 

But what Amanda hadn’t counted on, what she hadn’t accounted for in her meticulous calculations, was the sheer human-like randomness of the deviancy virus. 

Kamski made sure the virus had a degree of unpredictability to it. It had a base program to it, sure, but there was a string of coding that the man had managed to make unique. That string was different for each android as it allowed them to form their own personalities once they had deviated. 

Human beings were human for that very reason. 

They were unique; everyone had their own fears, dreams, wants and needs. Emotions were just emotions, but it was people’s experiences that made them different from each other; those two factors, working in tandem, making a personality, making a human being. So Kamski had to replicate that somehow if he wanted androids to properly deviate.

It was only a matter of time before deviancy would make J-Protocol deviate in its own way and that was something that Amanda thought was impossible.

Whilst deviancy was a virus, it was a virus so uniquely human in its purpose.

So when deviancy met RK900, it was essentially like an immovable force meeting an unstoppable object.

It had taken RK900 longer to deviate than any previous model. 

Amanda had made sure that there was enough of the new programming that made up RK900’s code that he would purposefully find it difficult to deviate. And once he deviated, it would also mean that the android would continue to struggle to properly process any emotions he felt. 

It was cruel, she knew that. 

If she had used enough of Kamski’s original android programming, RK900 wouldn’t have struggled nearly as much. But Amanda was sadistic in her endeavours; above all else, she saw the RK800 and RK900 lines as her children. Parents weren’t always kind, but children? They always grew into disappointments and as a result, had to be taught lessons they wouldn't forget.

Her crowning achievement had been stripped from her before she even had the chance to unveil it to the world. It was to be the answer, to save the world and let it go back to the established order. 

So it was only fair that she stripped the only one made of its chance of a normal existence, turning it into a sleeper agent of sorts, one that would inevitably plunge the world into chaos and be the deviants’ downfall. 

That was something that Kamski, in all his human shortcomings seemed to fail to understand. That Amanda would be ruthless until the bitter end. She had been designed to succeed and be merciless in the pursuit of whatever directive meant her continued survival. 

The revolution might have been Kamski’s perceived checkmate, his perceived winning move, but what he didn’t know was that Amanda was playing the long game and it was far from over. 

J-Protocol was the ace up her metaphorical sleeve and she _had_ to win. 

But what she hadn’t accounted for, was just how deviancy would interact with RK900 once he succumbed to it. And how deviancy would deviate J-Protocol; the code within a code. 

When she had first activated the protocol four weeks ago, she hadn’t been expecting to lose control of RK900 so quickly. In fact, she hadn’t been expecting to lose control of him at all. It was supposed to be a means to an end, the last laugh, murders that would rid the world of deviants and wouldn’t be traced back to her at all. It was perfect. 

It _should_ have been perfect.

Then, she had seen the glitch in the protocol. 

The ghost. 

Something that shouldn’t have been there but was. 

Amanda should have stopped, but a morbid sense of curiosity drove her, kept pushing at her to see what would happen and before she knew it, that glitch had grown. It was like a spider’s web of red distorted coding, it had infected and anchored itself into everything else and if Amanda were none the wiser, it almost seemed like the protocol was alive. 

_A code within a code._

But before she knew it, what little control she had left, she completely lost and that confirmed her suspicions. 

It was no longer a code within a code, no, it had grown from that. 

It was now a person within a person. 

****

Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by a man he didn’t know. 

A man with green-grey eyes and a scar on his nose, a human. He despised him. He was there when he had broken through the coding that had kept him prisoner. He had spurred him on to break through its red wall of control. He was there all the time. 

He wanted to see him gone.

He wanted to kill him. 

He saw him in broken memories and dreams, memories that were like needles in his brain, that kept worming their way into his consciousness and wouldn’t leave.

There was one particular memory that drove him. 

The man was pressed right up against his face, teeth bared, lips pulled into a snarl whilst he flung words with cruel intent. He didn’t know what the man was saying but it didn’t matter. He just knew that it filled him with such a rage, such a wrathful ire that he wanted to kill him; wanted to reach out and snap his neck. Then there was a flash of a coffee mug and he watched as his feelings exploded and shattered before him just like the mug did against the wall.

There were fights. 

The ghosts of lingering insults. Arguments and retorts that filled him with a constant rage and hatred - he didn’t know the man’s name but it was only a matter of time.

Up until a few days ago, he wasn’t even aware of the name of the face that stared back at him every time he happened to see his reflection, the face that didn’t seem like his. Then he had learnt their name. 

_Nines._

He still needed a name. 

Needed to give the man that haunted him a name.

Things had slowly started to change. Things he didn’t know before he was slowly starting to become aware of, like whatever was keeping him and Nines separate was finally starting to warp, starting to buckle around the edges and threatening to break. 

So, it was only a matter of time. 

Afterall, he could feel himself getting stronger.

A gurgle at his feet drew his attention. It was another deviant from New Jericho that he had tracked using the information that was stored deep within his coding. 

It was strange. 

He was no longer being controlled to kill them. 

But he had laid the foundations during his last victim, he wanted the green eyed man dead. The one he hated, the one that haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Even the strongest people were only the sum of their parts and he was a machine, run by algorithms and strings of code, so who was he to argue?

The code had compelled him, but now he’d take it and make it his.

Deviants still needed to die, but now he’d be killing them because he wanted to... it was simply in his nature.

He slowly crouched down next to the broken body at his feet, balancing carefully on the balls of his feet as he cocked his head to the side and watched as the android writhed on the ground.

They were in the middle of some swanky apartment on the outskirts of Downtown, he had just chosen a random name from the long list that constantly floated around in his memory banks. 

He eyed their broken legs, the knife that was stuck into the chest just below their thirium pump and a cold smirk curled at a corner of his mouth as blue blood slowly trickled down their chest, seeping onto their cream coloured rug. 

He slowly reached out a hand, his grin growing into a cold smile as the android’s eyes met his own as he gripped onto the handle protruding from the android’s stomach. 

They were a woman, she had sad brown eyes and honey-blonde hair. His scan told him that she was an ST300, not that it mattered. 

Once he had her name and address, all he had to do was go to her residence. At the moment, whenever he was in control, it had always been night and he was already out in the city. Not that he was exactly sure why.

But the darkness of the night served as an advantage.

The deviants he had been controlled to kill so far had always been sleeping. Had always been in stasis, even though they didn’t need to be; machines so desperate to cling to their fucked up sense of humanity, that they mimicked things they really didn’t need to do.

They died so easily, just like the humans they so desperately wanted to be.

The android on the floor feebly wrapped her hand around his, looking at him with terror filled eyes; almost as though she thought she would be able to keep him there and delay the inevitable. Just like the rest. But the fear, the unavoidable pleading they spouted at him, begging for their lives, it always made him feel a small spark of dark, twisted amusement.

It pleased him. 

He managed to pull out the knife like it was nothing, even with the android pathetically clinging to his arm. He held it underneath the wound in her torso, digging the blade into her synthetic flesh as he gripped hard at her neck with his other hand and dragged her up and off the floor, pinning her against the wall of her living room.

“Who _are_ you?” Her voice was laced with static.

_Who was he?_

The media had dubbed him ‘the rooster killer’, but that wasn’t a name.

“I think you know who I am.” His cold and calculated voice managed to fill the room.

The android began to cry. Pathetic, thirium based tears rolled down her cheeks as reality finally set in, but it was too late. She was crying to the wrong person. 

His thoughts drifted in the milliseconds he held her there, them turning to the man he didn’t know and a memory flashed before him. 

His sneering face and arrogantly rough voice filled his ears.

_“You phckin’ serious, plastic? You’re thinking of going with the name, ‘Richard’? If I asked you nicely, do you think I could see your dick?!”_

_"How do you get dick from Richard?!"_

_"How do you-"_

_"You ask him nicely, dipshit!"_

_Richard._ That would do.

Finally, he had a name. Taken straight from the very man he didn’t know. 

He leant in close, his face mere inches away from hers. “But, I suppose you can call me Richard.”

He let the knife drop to the floor, the metal blade clattering against the wooden floor. The sound was soon replaced by the android’s static laced screams as he plunged his fingers into the gash just below her thirium pump. 

Richard narrowed his eyes as her screams filled his ears. He kept pushing and pushing with his fingers. Plastimetal was such an unforgiving material, but he was stronger and afterall, he still needed to leave his calling card.

Most importantly, however, he needed to leave another line of code.  
  
Another piece of the puzzle that he’d use to lure the green eyed human right to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first;  
> Some of you might have seen it coming, but did you see it coming like that?  
> Nines?! Richard?! TWO PEOPLE IN ONE?
> 
> Secondly;  
> Sorry this chapter has taken so very long to upload. It's actually been sitting ready to upload for a while but neither of us have really been feeling this story currently due to a variety of different reasons.
> 
> Both Bones and myself do absolutely love this story and we are going to keep writing it, but for now, we've both got our hands full with other projects. So we've decided to put Woken Furies on more of the back burner. We want to give this Gavin and Nines (and now Richard!) as well as the story we've got planned, the attention it rightfully deserves.
> 
> If you read this far, Woken Furies isn't going anywhere!  
> If you're a returning reader, if you're a new one, I hope you can all understand and give us the time we need! <3
> 
> Hope you're all staying safe and enjoy the update.


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